EV startup NIO to build electric SUV in China this year
NIO, a Shanghai-based startup, plans to start mass production of a seven-seat battery-electric SUV later this year.
The ES8 is the second production model that NIO has showcased since the company was established in 2014. Its first production model, the EP9 electric sports car, was unveiled in London in November.
According to NIO, the ES8 will debut in China early next year. It will be built by Jianghuai Automobile Co., to which NIO has contracted vehicle assembly.
The NIO ES8 is more than 5 meters long, and its wheelbase exceeds 3 meters. Its body and chassis are aluminum, the company said last week at the Shanghai auto show.
The company did not disclose additional information about the electric SUV.
Earlier this year, NIO hatched plans to introduce self-driving electric vehicles in the United States in 2020. Additional details about that plan have yet to be released.
NIO, previously known as NextEV, is one of more than ten Chinese EV startups that hope to challenge Tesla Motors.
The company has financial backing from the founders of automotive websites Bitauto and autohome, and also the Internet giants, Tencent and Baidu.
NIO has no plans to build its own vehicle assembly plant. Earlier this month, it signed a deal with Changan Automobile Co., the largest domestic Chinese light vehicle maker, to jointly develop, produce and sell EVs.
Last year, it also a similar agreement with state-owned JAC, which produces trucks and light vehicles.
According to NIO, the ES8 will debut in China early next year. It will be built by Jianghuai Automobile Co., to which NIO has contracted vehicle assembly.
The NIO ES8 is more than 5 meters long, and its wheelbase exceeds 3 meters. Its body and chassis are aluminum, the company said last week at the Shanghai auto show.
The company did not disclose additional information about the electric SUV.
Earlier this year, NIO hatched plans to introduce self-driving electric vehicles in the United States in 2020. Additional details about that plan have yet to be released.
NIO, previously known as NextEV, is one of more than ten Chinese EV startups that hope to challenge Tesla Motors.
The company has financial backing from the founders of automotive websites Bitauto and autohome, and also the Internet giants, Tencent and Baidu.
NIO has no plans to build its own vehicle assembly plant. Earlier this month, it signed a deal with Changan Automobile Co., the largest domestic Chinese light vehicle maker, to jointly develop, produce and sell EVs.
Last year, it also a similar agreement with state-owned JAC, which produces trucks and light vehicles.
