First emerging in 2014, Chinese automaker Nio has wholly focused on designing and making premium electric vehicles, with its headquarters in Shanghai, China. The company’s Q3 2022 results showed that it had sold over 31,600 EVs for the first time, with its year-over-year revenue increasing by nearly 25% over the same period, as it looks to break into new markets and market segments. Now, as per reports, Nio is reportedly working on a new “ultra-premium” model.
Model & Platform
While Nio hasn’t disclosed details regarding its upcoming car, there’s a probability that it could be christened as either “ET8” or “ET9”. AutoHome (via CNEVPost) reported on December 14, 2022, that a company insider conveyed to the publication that the new model will take shape as a luxury sedan. Since the current top-tier sedan from Nio is the ET7, it would make sense for the automaker to name its upcoming model the Nio ET8 or Nio ET9.
Given that the ES8 is the brand’s current flagship and full-size SUV, certain dimensions could be adopted by the Nio ET8 sedan. For reference, the ES8’s wheelbase measures 3,010 mm or 118.5 inches, while the ET7 sedan’s wheelbase comes in at 3,060 mm or 120.4 inches. Nio should use the latter’s underpinning (with the NT 2.0) and maybe even give it a little stretch to meet the flagship sedan’s criteria.
According to an August 2022 article by CnEVPost, Nio Founder, Chairman & CEO William Li supposedly admitted the brand’s intentions for a “9-series model” in a vehicle owners’ Weibo chat group. In Chinese culture, the number 9 represents the highest rank or grade. This raises the question; would the new car be called the Nio ET9? We will have to wait a little longer to know for certain. However, the company insider cited that the model is already in its design phase.
Rivals
It can be said that the ET7 sedan has a peer in the Tesla Model S. Naturally, the upcoming Nio ET8/Nio ET9 sits even higher up in the model hierarchy. In fact, the insider claims that the EV brand is aiming to create a luxury sedan that can take on an already established marque such as the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. One could even consider the highest variants of the Mercedes EQS and the BMW i7 limo as potential rivals.
Nio ET8/Nio ET9 Price & Release Date
The Nio ET8/Nio ET9 is expected to be launched in “global markets” in 2024. Nio’s flagship luxury sedan is expected to be priced at over RMB 1 million (or USD 143,000).
Featured image: Nio
Shrawan Raja Founder & CEO
An automobile engineer by qualification, I’ve analyzed the global car market since 2005 and reviewed electric vehicles since 2008. In my 15 years in the online automotive publishing, I’ve edited around 35,000 articles.