Written by Cláudio Afonso | info@claudio-afonso.com
Lihong Qin, NIO’s Co-Founder, Director and President just confirmed that NIO ES7 Model will be released at the end of May, 2 months from now. Qin was asked this Tuesday about the possibility to see the new model NIO ES7 as soon as next month and responded: “Released at the end of May”.
The launch of NIO’s new five-seater SUV is now expected to happen within 8 weeks, 5 weeks later than the initial date, mid-April. The model was supposed to made its public debut at 2022 the Beijing Auto Show but Covid-19 cases surge in China may delay the event.
“Beijing auto show organizers are expected to reschedule the April event because of surging coronavirus infections in multiple cities across China. Discussions were ongoing to reschedule the biennial show, with no official information ready for public release” — a source with one of the event’s organizers told Automotive News China.
The international automotive exhibition was initially scheduled to take place at the China International Exhibition Center of Beijing from April 21st to April 30th. The first photos of NIO ES7 leaked on December 29th, showing some differences compared with the existing models. Deliveries in China are expected to start during Q4 2022 with the European Market receiving the first units early next year.
On February 15th, Lihong Qin confirmed that the company will unveil a new model: NIO ES7. The international automotive exhibition will take place at the China International Exhibition Center of Beijing from April 21st to April 30th. The first photos leaked on December 29th, showing some differences compared with the existing models. Deliveries in China are expected to start during Q4 2022 with the European Market receiving the first units early next year.
During the Conference held on February, Lihong Qin said: “We will officially release a brand-new new car in mid-April, which is named the Gemini (Coding name for the model). In the past, people misunderstood that it was a new brand. Officially named ES7, the model will be between ES6 and ES8. It is positioned as a medium and large five-seater SUV with an NT2.0 platform. The comfortable one is stronger. ES7 is competing with X5, the two most competitive five-seater SUVs this year.”
SPECS
- Equipped with NT2.0 Hardware — the layout of the watchtower is basically the same as the one used by ET7 and ET5 Model with NAD (NIO Autonomous Driving) included.
- The outflowing model is the shell of the ES6 — It is known that the ES7 will be longer than the current ES6 captain, and it is positioned between the NIO ES8 and the NIO ES6.
- The charging port of ES7 in low located in a different area.
- The intelligent cockpit hardware carried in the car is also likely to be Qualcomm Snapdragon’s 8155 processor.
READ MORE: NIO: next catalysts and why I am Bullish for the upcoming months (by C. Afonso)
On January 17th, the model was spotted on the road in China under Spy Mode. These tests on the road are part of the process for any company months before launching a new model.
Lihon Qin said that NIO ES7 will target the same market that BMW X5: “ES7 is competing with X5, the two most competitive five-seater SUVs this year”. Although the company didn’t confirmed the final price yet, it is expectable to start around ¥382,000 ($60,000USD). The 2022 BMW X5 xDrive45e Plug In Hybrid costs ¥382,200 so NIO ES7 price may be around $55,000 – $65,000.
Earlier today, BMW China posted on Weibo, the official invite to the presentation of the BMW X5 Li Variant. The model is a variant from the BMW regular-wheelbase X5 that is produced in the BMW Group Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina, US. In order to free up space in the US plant, the manufacturer will entirely produce this version in the Brilliance Automotive Dadong plant in Shenyang, China.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | info@claudio-afonso.com