NIO just launched on the European market with its official opening themed “A New Horizon” in Berlin and we have been part of it. Only last year in May 2021, NIO announced its market entry for Norway, marking the brand's first step into the global market. Consequently, the first NIO House outside of China was opened in September 2021. Now the brand is expanding its market presence and kicking off in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark.

"The horizon stands for hope and a brighter tomorrow. It is a symbol of exploring new possibilities in our life. We have always been dedicated to shaping a joyful lifestyle for our users via our products, services, and user communities. As a global brand, this mission serves a broader community worldwide. Now, we start with Europe." – William Li, founder, chairman and CEO of NIO

With its European market entry, NIO is offering three models – the ET7, ET5 and EL7 deriving from the NT2 platform. The high-performance flagship sedan, the ET7 is ready to order and has started its deliveries. Pre-orders for the mid-large SUV, the EL7, and the mid-size ET5 sedan will start its deliveries in January and March 2023. What is completely new is the NIO’s subscription model, which is also the only way to get your hands on a NIO car. NIO’s intention is to encourage users to switch to EV’s. The service is designed to offer a great flexibility and personalisation with a term starting from just one month to 60 months. All subscription models include insurance, maintenance, winter tires, a courtesy car and battery swapping and the option to upgrade battery services. Will this be an incentive for you to switch to EV’s? We have to see how the subscription model is being adopted by the European customers.

Last year, around the IAA Mobility, we followed the invite of NIO to already have a closer look at the ET7 – but only in the studio. We experienced the electric sedan with Chief of Exterior Design Armin Hobruecker and took a seat in this very spacious vehicle showcasing minimalist design at its best. Now as we experienced the series production of the ET7, we also got the chance to test drive it. We have been lucky again as Chief of Exterior Design Armin Hobruecker took us along and showed us the final ET7.

Exterior and interior design of the NIO ET7

The exterior as well as interior convinces with its minimalist, reduced design. It is not without reason that the ET7 received the 2021 Red Dot Product Design Award. Sleek lines, a clean silhouette. Flushed-fitted door openers, frameless windows underline the sleek look.

Inside the ET7, NIO created a ‘second living room’ concept. In the front as well as on the back seat passengers have a lot of space. Perfect and very comfortable for longer journeys. NIO set value on sustainable materials and so for the interior, the material Karuun® has been used. It’s a sustainable plastic-free material, fitting perfectly into premium vehicles as it is very sophisticated in its appearance.

UI / UX Design – some interesting features

Everything is very neatly arranged in the interior – exactly how we like it. You will find not a lot of buttons. Nearly all features are to be found in the menu of the 12.8-inch center display – also the steering wheel and mirror adjustment, which is a bit unusual at first. Once you have dealt with it in detail, you will quickly get along with it as its quite intuitive. Turn signal and windshield wiper remain on the steering wheel.

Let us introduce you to some special features in the NIO ET7. Active fragrancing of the interior at the touch of a button has emerged in the last years. In the NIO ET7 you have the option to choose from three scents. Besides you can set 256 colours for the lighting – depending on your mood and preferences. Another stunning feature is the ambient lightning adaption when you listen to your music. The lightning adapts to the colour of the album cover. Also if you watch a movie on the screen, the ambient lighting adapts to the colours of the picture.

Of course, NOMI, the first in-car artificial intelligence-driven digital assistant is to be found in the NIO ET7. Nomi is your personal companion on board. You can easily talk to her in English as well as in German. When she speaks, she turns to the conversation partner. While driving and listening to some music, Nomi takes out her rattle or guitar and does some entertainment. Nomi not only can make grimaces, she can also close the sunroof when it’s raining or when telling her it’s too cold inside, she raises the temperature.

The NIO ET7 comes with AI glasses turning the vehicle into a movie theater. Besides it is equipped with the "Dolby Atmos immersive sound system" creating an extremely good and all-round sound via 23 speakers, even in the roof.

Performance and charging

Driving the NIO ET7 is definitely fun paired with high comfort due to the spacious interior. The ET7 is trimmed to efficiency with a cW value of only 0.208. The vehicle is equipped with two extremely powerful e-machines, producing 180 kW (245 hp) at the front and 300 kW (408 hp) at the rear. So to sum up, the key data of the drive technology are quite impressive: 653 hp output, 850 Nm torque, over 1000 kilometers range as soon as the version with the largest battery is available. Currently, there are two batteries of 75 and 100 kWh capacity available, whose ranges are given as 445 and 580 kilometers.

And what else is quite impressive is the acceleration – from 0-100 km/h in just four seconds. The NIO ET7 comes along with various driving programmes: Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport + and Individual.

In terms of charging, NIO has developed its so called Power Swap Stations. Instead of charging your vehicle at at charging station, the vehicle is being driven into a kind of box. There, the empty batteries are being removed within a few minutes and replaced with full ones. Everything of course, fully automated. Starting already when being in front of the station, the vehicle drives independently into the box and parks itself in the right position.

The first two Power Swap Stations in Germany have been built up in Zusmarshausen near Augsburg and in Berlin Spandau. Further stations will follow by the end of the year. By 2025, NIO aims to build 1.000 Power Swap Stations outside of China.

NIO Experience

NIO wants to offer its customers a unique and special experience offering a direct-to-consumer model. The NIO House in Berlin is about to open very soon, where users can immerse into the world of NIO. Further houses are planned in Hamburg, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Gothenburg. Next to it, NIO has established a network of Authorized Service Centers in all major city areas of Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden. Via the NIO App, users can access car data and book service appointments.

Further NIO will develop the community models that have been intrinsic to its success in China. This includes community user groups such as the User Advisory Board (UAB) that in Norway already has 270 members. UABs help NIO to improve the user experience through sharing ideas on service quality, charging, in-store experience, and other aspects of using a NIO car.

NIO’s journey is quite impressive and what they build up in quite a short period of time. We can’t wait to experience the NIO House in Berlin and of course we will be taking you along.

Pictures: NIO for ellectric
Text: Britta Reineke