NIO in Europe: ET5 and EL7 spearhead electric expansion

This article is part of the 2023 New Releases Special. Discover more than 100 new launches, with the support of Millennium bcp.

NIO is a young Chinese car maker, established in 2014. Although it was initially greeted with enthusiasm - with many suggesting it could become the next Tesla - the company has faced no shortage of obstacles during its short existence, largely because of the turbulent years the world has endured.

Nevertheless, it has continued to expand, even as its losses keep mounting. In 2022, sales rose compared with 2021 (+34%), but losses reached €1.9 billion (an increase of 260%).

Those rising losses can be explained by the substantial investments the young Chinese manufacturer is making, both in the development of new products and in its expansion into new markets.

Having first "dipped its toes" into the European market with its arrival in Norway in 2021, it announced in October last year that it would expand into Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden.

It will not stop there, and it could arrive in Portugal in 2025. However, this may not happen under the premium-focused NIO brand, but rather through a new, more affordable electric-car brand that the NIO Group intends to introduce to the European market. Find out more about that development:

Charging the battery? Why not swap it?

NIO is establishing itself in the European market with the option of deducting the cost of the batteries from the vehicle's price and leasing them instead - a scheme previously seen at Renault.

This gives customers access to a unique service that allows a depleted battery to be exchanged for a charged one at dedicated facilities known as Power Swap Stations. The process takes five minutes, although NIO already has a new generation of stations that cuts this to three minutes or less.

NIO currently operates 1100 battery-swapping stations, most of them in China. As it expands across Europe, the Chinese manufacturer plans to open 100 Power Swap Stations on the "old continent" by the end of the year.

NIO's European line-up

NIO entered Europe - through Norway - with the ES8, a large electric SUV whose potential rivals include the Tesla Model X and the new Volvo EX90, which is due to arrive this year.

However, as it spread into more European markets, the Chinese brand unveiled three new models: the ET7, ET5 and EL7. These comprise two electric saloons and an SUV, respectively.

We have already driven the NIO ET7, a large saloon measuring more than five metres in length and positioned against the Tesla Model S, and... we were impressed:

ET5 takes on the Model 3 and rivals

Logically, the NIO ET5 is a smaller saloon, although it is still long at 4.79 m. It will be NIO's challenger to the Tesla Model 3, as well as the BYD Seal, Hyundai IONIQ 6, Volkswagen ID.7 and even the BMW i4, targeting the premium segment.

It stands out for its three available battery options: 75 kWh, 100 kWh and... 150 kWh. The latter is expected to arrive later and is not only one of the largest batteries fitted to a car, but is also solid-state. This technology had already been announced for the larger ET7, making NIO one of the first manufacturers to offer such an option.

NIO quotes a range of between 550 km and 1000 km for the ET5. There is one caveat: these figures are based on the Chinese CLTC cycle, which is more lenient than our WLTP cycle.

Despite the choice of several batteries, there is currently only one powertrain option. It uses two electric motors, one on each axle - 150 kW (204 hp) at the front and 210 kW (286 hp) at the rear - delivering a combined 360 kW (490 hp) and 700 Nm.

Alongside the saloon, the NIO ET5 will also be offered as an estate, taking European consumer preferences into account. It could reach the "old continent" as early as next June.

EL7 is the flagship SUV

An interesting detail: NIO's SUVs originally used the designation “ES” followed by a number. Audi did not appreciate the fact that these badges were so close to those used by its “S” models. Following a lengthy legal case, NIO was forced to rename them and chose the letters “EL”.

As a result, the SUV launched as the ES7 in China arrives in Europe as the EL7. As its name suggests, this SUV is equivalent to the ET7 saloon and takes on the role of flagship model - it remains to be seen whether the ES8, which was recently updated and should become the EL8, will be sold in European countries beyond Norway.

The EL7 counts the Audi Q8 e-tron and BMW iX among its main rivals. It is available with two batteries, rated at 75 kWh and 100 kWh, enabling a range of up to 509 km, this time on the WLTP cycle.

This generously proportioned SUV, which measures 4.91 m long, also delivers considerable firepower thanks to its two electric motors, one on each axle - 180 kW (245 hp) at the front and 300 kW (408 hp) at the rear - producing a total of 480 kW, equivalent to 653 hp.

This article is part of the 2023 New Releases Special. Discover more than 100 new launches, with the support of Millennium bcp.