Nio unveils sleek luxury electric SUVs

Chinese luxury electric carmaker Nio has revealed a sleek EC7 coupe SUV and facelifted ES8 Prime six-seater SUV.

The all-new EC7 starts from AU$104,000 (488,000 yuan) with an aerodynamic 0.23 drag coefficient and large 150kWh battery pack on the top trim, contributing to an estimated driving range of up to 940 kilometres based on the lenient China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC).

The Audi Q8 E-Tron Sportback rival packs dual all-wheel-drive electric motors producing 480kW of power and 850Nm of torque for a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of just 3.8 seconds on the flagship variant.

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Nio EC7

Key features include; lidar sensors to enable autonomous driving capabilities in the future, a lounge seat with zero-gravity mode, an active rear spoiler, electrochromatic panoramic glass roof, flush door handles, and six-piston Brembo brake callipers.

Meanwhile, Nio has also refreshed the ES8 Prime three-row SUV – its first model that launched in 2018 – which starts from AU$112,000 (528,000 yuan).

It gains more than 60 aerodynamic improvements to achieve a 0.25 drag coefficient, with a 100kWh battery offering an estimated driving range of up to 900 kilometres on the CLTC.

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Nio EC7

The Volvo EX90 competitor uses dual electric motors making 480kW and 850Nm to sprint from 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds on the top grade.

The six-seater electric SUV is headlined by; a grille-free face, slimmer LED head- and tail-lights, 22-inch forged alloy wheels, middle-row individual captains chairs, five-zone climate control, a hidden rear wiper, and air suspension.

Both the Nio EC7 and ES8 Prime feature a 12.8-inch AMOLED infotainment display, built-in voice assistant, and a 16-inch head-up display.

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Nio ES8

The EC7 coupe SUV will start deliveries in China from May, while the ES8 Prime will be released from June.

The premium carmaker also showed-off its latest generation battery swapping station, which allows owners to quickly get a new battery pack on the go, without the need to wait for charging.

The new stations allow up to 408 swaps per day and can store 21 replacement cells.

Nio went global last year by launching in Norway and will expand to Germany, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands. It is also setting up a network of battery swapping stations in Europe.