NextEV’s new global electric car brand NIO will launch its first mass market car in 2017 in China.
But it has so far refused to commit to selling in Europe, with NextEV chairman William Li explaining: “We have to establish our core competitiveness in China first.”
NIO’s first model will be the ES8 – short for electric Sedan 8 – and is said to share some essential design cues with the brand’s EP9 electric supercar.
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David Hilton, senior design director, highlighted the areas of the car which would have apparent similarities to the EP9. He told car Express: “The frontal identity, the rear lighting – we call them the spark beats – and the chiselled side.”
Heavy use of alumiunium will imply a lightweight body, but the brand remained tight-lipped on potential performance.
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It is understood the ES8 is likely to be out on test in the first quarter of 2017, with sales due later in the year.
NextEV will work in partnership with Chinese firm JAC Motors to manufacture the car, with capacity for 100,000 models to be built annually.
The ES8 will be pitched at the premium end of the market. “We will have the same quality as BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Lexus but at a much more competitive price,” said Li.