First Tooling Trial Prototypes of Nio ET7 Roll Off Production Line, Deliveries to Begin Q1 2022
On September 16, the first batch of the Nio ET7 tooling trial prototypes rolled off the production line at the JAC Nio Advanced Manufacturing Base in the central Chinese city of Hefei, marking a further step in the maturity of ET7 product validation and industrial commissioning, the company said.
The main purpose of this phase is to validate the process documentation for mass production, train the line operators and verify the line manufacturing capability. At the end of this phase, the ET7 will enter the pre-production phase to prepare the vehicle for final delivery.
On May 13, the first validation build prototype of the ET7 rolled off the production line, a pilot vehicle used for engineering verification and production line process validation.
Nio‘s ET7 model is positioned as a pure electric medium-to-large car, which was officially launched in January 2021. Priced at 448,000 yuan ($69,366) to 526,000 yuan, the vehicle will be delivered in mass production in the first quarter of 2022.
Nio confirmed that its new ET7 sedan will enter the German market by the end of 2022 and hinted at the possibility of its future production in Europe. Company Chairman Li Bin said in a recent interview that German customers were “very interested” in the model, prompting the company to commit to launching the car in Europe next year. However, Nio has not yet set a launch date in the UK, despite previously suggesting the car is likely to become available in the country.
The new model is equipped with LiDAR and cameras, which can provide drivers with a wider field of vision and a multifunctional driving assistance system. Its Image Signal Processor can process 6.4 billion pixels per second, and the hash rate is as high as 1016 TOPS.
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The ET7 features motors at the front and rear with a combined output of 643 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. The sedan can reportedly accelerate to 62 mph in a swift 3.9 seconds. The car has three battery packs with capacities of 70kWh, 100kWh and 150kWh, and its cruising range under the New European Driving Cycle exceeds 500km, 700km and 1000km, respectively.
The China International Capital Corporation said in a research report released in early July that the ET7 is expected to contribute 70,000 units to Nio’s sales next year, bringing total sales by the firm to 170,000 units.
