We are now astonished the same way we were back in 2016 when Chinese startup Nio gave us a glimpse of the EP9 track-only supercar. However, in their quest to create a potent EV, Nio might have come up with a walloping answer to the likes of Tesla.
The ES6 as the company has named the car is the second of its planned volume models and can readily lock horns with the Tesla Model Y. Gowned as a small crossover, the ES6 will be sold in China for about $52,000, which is $16,000 lesser than its elder sibling ES8.
In its standard iteration, the ES6 comes with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system. The base model packs two electric motors at the two axles, each packing 214bhp of power. This pushes the car to triple-digit speeds in about 5.6 seconds. On the other hand, the Performance model features a 214bhp yielding motor at the front axle and a 321bhp yielding one at the rear axle, galloping the car from 0-100kph in just 4.7seconds.
Buyers will be given an option to choose from a battery option of 70-kilowatt-hour battery or 84-kWh unit with either model. The Standard model, with the 70kWh battery, delivers a range of 408km and 479km with the 84-kWh unit. Meanwhile, the Performance model delivers 429km and 508km respectively.
While Nio's market is currently restricted to China, reports suggest that the company is sketching out plans to commence its operations in Europe as well as the United States of America. It already has a local division based in California working on new automotive technology including self-driving capability.
Since 2016, the company has managed to launch a mid-size crossover SUV called as the ES8, start trading on the New York Stock Exchange and get a factory under construction in China. We learnt that the production of the ES8 is currently outsourced and the deliveries as of December 15 accounted for 9,726 units.