HUI ZHANG, VICE-PRESIDENT, NIO EUROPE
What are the highlights of the ET5?
“Our global design team worked through the pandemic to create the ET5. The team has developed an ever-growing confidence in our design DNA, and I think that’s evident in the form.
“We’ve progressed many Nio signatures, such as the shark nose and X-bar, but also introduced a sporting edge. It evokes the lines of the EP9, our record-breaking hypercar, with muscular haunches, and we’ve introduced the ducktail spoiler.
“Inside, we had the opportunity to innovate further. We have Clean+, a sustainable fabric that’s made from 100% recycled PET bottles. And we have an
Where does it sit in the range? “It’s our mid-size car. The ET7, our other saloon, which will be on sale in China from March, is 311mm longer and 27mm wider.
“The ET5 is more sporting, with features that should also attract a younger audience to the brand. The level of personalisation, the tech specification and versatility, alongside the very easy user experience, is appealing to that demographic.”
Nio has announced plans to enter more European markets. How about the UK? “Yes, we’ve now confirmed Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden alongside Norway. The UK remains a very interesting market, but we don’t have any announcement to make yet.”
Has the global semiconductor shortage affected Nio significantly?
“Like so many manufacturers and tier-one suppliers, Nio has experienced multiple supplychain challenges and has had to adapt to the situation and find new solutions wherever possible. Through our own research projects, we’ve identified alternative chips and been able to validate them for production. This has aided our capability to solve several possible chip-shortage problems.”
Are there any plans for production in Europe?
“At present, there are no plans. Our second facility in China, the Xinqiao Intelligent Electric Vehicle Industrial Park, will be ready for production in the second quarter of 2022, with fullprocess-line-trial vehicles coming off the production line in the third quarter. The ET5 will be produced there.”