A new set of spy photos of the next-generation Nio ET5 Touring was posted on Weibo on Wednesday by the account ‘伸手摘星star’, the latest in a string of sightings that began in August and have accelerated in recent weeks.
The images show the test vehicle still covered in heavy camouflage, but its station wagon silhouette is unmistakable. Proportions appear to have changed significantly from the current model.
The photos follow earlier rounds of spy shots, when the prototype was spotted twice in August on public roads and near a testing facility.
Extended Dimensions
Chinese outlet CNMO Technology published a side-by-side comparison of the prototype against the current ET5 Touring on Wednesday, writing that the wheelbase, front overhang and rear overhang all appear longer.
The current model measures 4,790 mm long, 1,960 mm wide and 1,499 mm tall, with a 2,888 mm wheelbase.
Weibo automotive blogger ‘互联网俊明说’ also wrote on Wednesday that several bloggers now speculate the new vehicle could exceed 5 metres in length, with a wheelbase surpassing 3 metres.
Those estimates come from photographs of a heavily wrapped prototype set against the current car, and are impressions of proportion rather than measurements.
The blogger described the overall stance as lower, longer and more streamlined, and said the proportions bring the wagon closer in size to the Audi RS6 Avant.
The rear section now features a visibly longer cargo compartment, ‘互联网俊明说’ wrote, adding that the change is expected to address two persistent criticisms of the existing ET5 Touring: rear-seat legroom and trunk capacity.
According to the media outlet, the roofline has also been adjusted relative to the current model, suggesting potential changes to interior space layout.
NT3.0 Platform
Multiple sightings and blogger accounts now point to the prototype running on Nio’s third-generation NT3.0 pure-electric platform, the same architecture that underpins the flagship ET9 sedan and the third-generation ES8.
Weibo blogger ‘伸手摘星star’ wrote last week that the prototype features three LiDAR sensors and a front trunk, both hallmarks of the NT3.0 architecture.
The blogger described the front-end design as “very sporty.”
Earlier spy shots had shown raised structures on the roof consistent with LiDAR housings.
Weibo blogger ‘SugarDesign’ had noted in August that the prototype carried a vertical side-mounted radar matching the layout on the ES8.
The platform, sensor count and chip are inferences from visible features, and Nio has confirmed none of them.
The NT3.0 platform brings a native 900V high-voltage architecture.
‘互联网俊明说’ said the new ET5T is also expected to carry Nio’s self-developed Shenji NX9031 autonomous driving chip, a 5 nm processor with computing power comparable to four Nvidia Drive Orin X chips, or about 1,000 TOPS per chip.
The blogger argued that the dimensional increase is a surface-level change, and that equipping a 300,000-yuan ($44,700) wagon with flagship-grade hardware is what Nio is doing differently.
Nio Day Debut
While ‘伸手摘星star’ wrote that trial production has begun and that the vehicle will make its official debut at Nio Day in Wuhan, the company has not confirmed this information.
After completing winter testing this year, deliveries are expected in the second quarter of next year, the blogger added.
There is speculation among enthusiasts that the model could be renamed the ET6T, though Nio has also not confirmed any name.
The ‘Nio Day’ event is scheduled for December in Wuhan, returning to its traditional year-end slot after last year’s edition was held in September in Hangzhou.
Every Nio Day since the event’s inception in 2017 has featured a major product or technology reveal.
The original ET5 sedan was unveiled at the December 2021 event in Suzhou; the ET5 Touring variant followed in June 2023.
Fading Sales Base
The refresh comes as the current ET5 Touring’s volumes have weakened considerably.
The model delivered 1,561 units in July and 1,628 units in August.
The wagon had briefly held the top spot in Nio’s lineup from mid-2025, posting 5,103 units in June of that year to overtake the ES6.
Volumes dropped sharply from October onward after the third-generation ES8 launched and absorbed demand.
The ET5 Touring’s share of Nio Inc’s total deliveries has fallen from about 25% two years ago to around 4% in the past months.
Nio unveiled 2026 model-year versions of the ET5 and ET5 Touring in April, keeping the shared entry price at 298,000 yuan, or 190,000 yuan under the Battery as a Service scheme.
If the replacement arrives in the second quarter of 2027, as the blogger suggests, the current car will remain on sale for three more quarters with its successor visibly testing on public roads.
The brand also launched Champion Editions for its entry-level models, with deliveries beginning in June.
XPeng Enters the Segment
Nio is not alone in pushing into wagons.
XPeng has been road-testing its first-ever station wagon under the Mona series, with a camouflaged prototype photographed arriving at the brand’s Guangzhou headquarters in August. The vehicle carries the internal codename D11T, according to 21st Century Business Herald, which cited people familiar with the programme.
XPeng has not acknowledged the model, filed it with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or disclosed a launch date.
The broader Chinese wagon segment recorded about 176,000 sales in 2025, less than 1% of total passenger vehicle volume, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
A wave of new entrants has arrived in recent months.
Lynk & Co launched the 07 GT in July; Avatr introduced the 06T; Shangjie brought the Z7T on Huawei’s Tuling platform; and GAC-Huawei’s Qijing launched the GT7.
BYD’s Fang Cheng Bao opened pre-orders for the Formula S GT shooting brake in August.
Geely’s Zeekr 001 shooting brake remains one of the segment’s most established offerings.
Nio executives gave a brief affirmative when asked about a wagon project at a media briefing on May 28, after the ES9 launch, which remains the only on-record reference the company has made to the car.
Nio has yet to confirm the new model’s official name, platform, dimensions or launch timeline.
