EV automaker NIO has just announced that its annual “NIO Day” 2021 event will be held at the Olympic Sports Center in Suzhou, west of Shanghai on December 18. NIO Day 2020 was held in early January of this year, and the event is usually when the automaker introduces new models. That trend should continue this year as the automaker is expected to reveal at least two new models and possibly an entirely new vehicle brand. Here’s what we know so far.
NIO ($NIO) is a publicly traded Chinese automaker founded in 2014 that has quickly established itself as a leading brand for electric SUVs with its ES8, ES6, and EC6 offerings.
At 2020’s NIO Day event held this past January, NIO revealed it was expanding outside of SUVs as it unveiled its flagship sedan, the ET7. The ET7 will be the first of three EVs to debut on the NIO Technology Platform 2.0 in 2022.
In addition to bringing a luxury EV sedan to market, the automaker followed up in May with plans to expand to markets outside of China, beginning in Norway.
While Norway will not see the ET7 until 2022, NIO has already begun official deliveries of its ES8 SUV, which has long been accompanied by hints of further expansion plans for Europe, particularly in Germany.
In September, NIO confirmed it will soon sell the ET7 in the German market, set to begin deliveries in 2022. Following announcements like 2020’s ET7 reveal, consumers and investors alike look forward to NIO Day as an event associated with new models to come.
This year should be no different, and very well could include a new auto brand altogether, in addition to new NIO models.
NIO Day 2021 confirmed for December 18
According to a post from NIO’s Weibo page, its annual NIO Day event will take place at the Suzhou Olympic Sport Center Stadium on December 18. The massive sports complex is home to a 45,000-person stadium and indoor arena capable of holding 13,000 people.
With the ET7 revealed at the previous NIO Day, the company could have at least two more new models to unveil to the public in December based on previous statements.
New model rumors
In NIO’s Q2 financial results report, founder, chairman, and CEO William Li cited the aforementioned 2.0 Platform and the models that will see it first:
We aim to deliver three new products based on the NIO Technology Platform 2.0 in 2022, including ET7, a flagship premium smart electric sedan. As the EV adoption begins to reach a tipping point worldwide, we believe it is imperative to speed up the launch of new products to provide more premium smart EV offerings with superior holistic services to the growing user base in the
global market.
The second vehicle to debut on this platform could very well be the ET5, a mid-sized sedan priced below the ET7. According to rumors uncovered by CnEVPost, sources familiar with the matter believe the ET5 will in fact be unveiled at NIO Day 2021.
The ET7 is currently priced between RMB 448,000-526,000 ($70,000-$82,000) in China without EV subsidies. The ET5 is reported to arrive as a competitor to BMW’s 3-Series or Audi’s A4, at a cost below RMB 300,000 ($47,000).
Additionally, a research note sent to NIO investors by Deutsche Bank’s Edison Yu’s team this past August, said it expects the third EV on the NIO Technology Platform 2.0 to be a luxury MPV (multi-purpose vehicle, or glorified minivan), or a high performance sports coupe called the EF9.
A new NIO sub-brand?
In a call with investors following NIO’s Q2 report, William Li announced the company’s plans for a new brand for the mass EV market, and that preparations had already been accelerated.
Li compared the relationship between NIO and this new brand to the likes of Lexus and Toyota, and Audi with Volkswagen. Li shared hopes that the mass market brand could deliver EVs priced lower than Tesla in China.
All in all, the ET5 feels very likely to debut this December at NIO Day 2021, and could be joined by another NIO brand vehicle, whether it’s an MPV or sports coupe.
What’s even better, the public may also see the debut of an entirely new EV brand altogether, sure to try and make a mark in the mass market of China and beyond.
Check back with Electrek for the latest NIO Day 2021 rumors as we look to confirm more announcements for you leading up to December’s event.
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Author: Scooter Doll
Source: Electrek
