Chinese electric brand Nio has revealed further details of its European model line-up with its ET5 and EL6.
Nio is expected to operate a direct sales model in the UK, much like Tesla and is expected to launch in the UK early next year.
The brand is planning to conquest customers from premium German brands and Tesla, with pricing expected to be at the higher end of the EV market.
The ET5 will rival the BMW i5 Touring and offers a range of 270 – 350 miles, depending on variant.
The EL6 will go head-to-head with the Audi Q8 e-tron and can cover 300 miles between charges.
Neither model has been officially confirmed for UK sales, yet, but both are expected to launch in 2024.
Nio has already launched in other European markets like Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany and has a battery swap concept, much like Renault attempted to introduce over 10 years ago.
Nio already has 1,200 battery swap stations across China and is planning to install 4,000 globally by the end of 2025.
These swap stations can automatically park and switch out a Nio battery for an 80% charged one within six minutes. Customers can choose to temporarily upgrade to a higher range battery for occasional trips and swap back to a smaller capacity if they choose.
Nio says the ET5 Touring will “cater for the demands of modern life” and provides a “spacious and upmarket cabin” with a 450-litre boot.
Two battery options will be offered: 75kWh and 100kWh. The twin-motor powertrain develops 489PS and allows the car to accelerate from 0-62mph in 4.0 seconds.
Chassis settings are said to be optimised for sporty driving and the ET5 achieves 50:50 weight distribution.
The car features a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster and 12.8-inch centre console display as part of its minimalist interior.
Luxury features, such as semi-autonomous driving aids, massage seats and a 23-speaker sound system will also be available.
The EL6 shares its design language with the ET5 and is described by its maker as “a hybrid of SUV and saloon language”.
The car will come with a high level of equipment as standard, including 20-way adjustable seats, to maximise comfort, and the largest openable sunroof in this segment.
It uses the same dual-motor powertrain as the ET5, serving up 489PS and paired with a 70kWh battery. The EL6 can accelerate from 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds.
There are nine drive modes that allow drivers to tailor the car’s responses. Adaptive dampers are fitted that can make up to 500 adjustments per second.
Boot space is measured at 668 litres and the car will also feature 40:20:40 split folding seats, to maximise practicality.
Nio is currently building its UK operations team and appointed Marc Samuel, former fleet sales operations manager at Honda, as its national fleet sales manager earlier this year.