Nio’s upcoming third-generation ES8 SUV was spotted this week being tested on a road trip by only using the company’s battery swap stations to Mount Everest ahead of its pre-launch event on August 20.
The new model will be officially launched during the ‘Nio Day’ annual event, which is scheduled for Hangzhou one month later — on September 20.
The model was first revealed last month in a MIIT regulatory filing. The six and seven-seat model will feature Nio’s in-house developed Shenji NX9031 autonomous driving chip — the same used by the brand’s flagship sedan ET9.
The new ES8 will support the Nio World Model ecosystem, which was also introduced on the luxury ET9 sedan earlier this year.
The SUV will use a dual-motor all-wheel drive system with a maximum combined output of 520 kW. Its autonomy will be granted by a 102 kWh CATL battery, which reaches a CTLC range of up to 635 km.
The ES8 SUV was Nio’s debut production model, first launched in 2018.
In comments made in a WeChat group, which screenshots circulated on Weibo this Tuesday, Nio founder and chief executive William Li said the new ES8 will not feature electric running boards.
“There are no electric running boards, indeed they are not needed,” Li wrote. He said the decision was made “based on considering the convenience of getting in and out.”
Li contrasted the ES8 with the ES9, saying “The ES8 doesn’t need them, the ES9 does,” and added that “If we achieve the same ease of entry and exit as an MPV, then electric running boards are unnecessary.”
The ES9 is planned to match ET9’s technology level with the launch planned for early next year.
Late last month, as he revealed that 10,000 Onvo L90 units were already planned ahead of the July 31 launch, Li said the company has no immediate plans to release an MPV.
“Once you see the third-generation ES8, you’ll understand why there’s no rush,” he said at the time.
Sales from the Nio brand fell both sequentially and year over year to 12,675 vehicles in July.
Of those, 1,090 units were second-generation ES8s, representing 5% of Nio’s total deliveries. Last month’s figures were above the 839 units registered in June and the 292 sold in May, marking the model’s highest monthly total so far this year.
As of Tuesday, the company operates 3,449 battery swap stations across China.
