News: Nio Shows Chinese Crossover in Silicon Valley

On Sale in China; No Word on U.S. Prospects

Chinese-made cars are already on sale in the U.S., but Chinese-branded vehicles have yet to make their official debut. All indications are they will appear; it’s just a question of who and when. Meanwhile, they are running around on American roads, testing the U.S. technology that is a critical part of their total package.

Such is the case with Nio, a start-up (founded in 2014) with hundreds of U.S. employees and a permit to test its autonomous technology on the roads of California (with a human safety driver, of course). The company showcased its ES8 model, an all-electric seven-passenger SUV at this fall’s Infineon OktoberTech conference in Mountain View, Calif. Of course, it featured a variety of Infineon sensors and other technology in the car.

The Nio ES8 is a six- or seven-passenger SUV, roughly the size and price of a Lexus GX or a Tesla Model X. In China it sells from the U.S. equivalent of roughly $64,000. The exterior has a pleasing, contemporary design featuring a floating roof and a conventional profile for the segment. It sits on an 118-inch wheelbase (Model X is 116.7 inches and Lexus GX is 109.8) and is 196 inches overall. Lexus is 192 inches and Model X is 198 inches.

The Tech Details

Built on an aluminum chassis with AWD standard, the Nio features an active air suspension, a 310-mile range from its 84 kilowatt-hour battery, 0.29 c_d (Tesla X claims 0.25; Lexus’ more traditional SUV shape is .35), Nappa leather interior with air purifier (needed in China), premium sound system and a claimed 4.4 sec. 0-100 kph (62 mph) from 650 horsepower dual motors.

In China its being sold as a premium brand through its Nio House showrooms. They appear to be a cross between a Tesla Gallery and a Japanese tea room. Like so many others, the company’s vision sees the car moving toward autonomy so it comes with a complete suite of ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) subject to over-the-air updates with new features. The Nio Pilot system has an exclusive use of Mobileye EyeQ4 that features adaptive cruise control, lane keeping and automatic emergency braking. It also has an in-car artificial intelligence (AI) system, Nomi, designed to ease the use of hardware and software, from playing music to providing a companion to talk to. The ES8’s Interior, other than Nomi AI with its spot atop the center of the dash, is fairly plain Jane.  

Building a Racing Heritage

Nio has been an active participant in the Formula E race program since 2014, when its team had its best finish—fourth overall. Like the traditional petrol-driven portion of the auto industry, Nio looks to a win-on-Sunday, sell-on-Monday approach to racing, using it to test technology and develop a reputation as they now find themselves going head-to-head with teams from Audi, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Jaguar. 

On the technology front, Nio also touts one feature in China that makes it unique. While Tesla has its supercharger network, Nio has Nio Power Home, its own supercharger hetwork, but also Nio Power Mobile, a network of 1,200 vehicles that can appear and give you a charge good for 100 kilometers (62 miles) in about 10 minutes. Finally, the company is also in the process of building 1,100 Power Swap Stations where a Nio came swap out for a fully charged battery in three minutes.

The plans are grand and Nio had enjoyed solid financial backing over its half decade of existence, even listing on the U.S. stock exchange, but its stock is off more than 60 percent from its initial listing price and the company has yet to earn a profit. During the past year Nio has cut staff in China and the U.S., so it’s unclear what the future may bring. All we can say is the Nio ES8 would not look out of place in any American new car showroom. We hope to get a chance to drive it next time.