Nio, one of the more established EV automakers to come out of China recently, has unveiled the latest edition to their portfolio. The ES6 crossover is officially their third production model following high performance EP9 and larger ES8 SUV.
The Shanghai-based company had been developing the ES6 for quite some time now, and it shows in sophisticated the final product seems, a crisp and modern looking 5-seater that looks like it could have come out of Audi, and boasting a cabin that’s equally slick.
As a smaller sibling to the ES8, the ‘6’ does ride on a shorter wheelbase and therefore boasts a slightly smaller cabin. According, it’s powertrain is also a slight downgrade. Having said that, even the base spec boasts a 70kWh battery that’s capable of over 400km on a single charge and a 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.6 seconds.
The range-topper, though, knocks that down to 4.7 seconds thanks to a 400kW dual motor setup and a larger 84kWh battery that’s able to deliver a claimed range of 430km on the NEDC testing cycle. That’s pretty impressive, but made all the more tangible by the company’s production track record as well as the ES6’s delivery schedule being set in mid to late 2019.
So far, Nio has enjoyed steady success by limiting their buying market to China exclusively, far from the constraints of a global customer base. It was clear that the company’s slow approach to mass market growth has enabled them to learn and course correct before aggressive expansion, and the ES6 might be the vehicle to push them over that edge.
For now, though, there’s no official indication that the company is even particularly interested in pursuing buyers outside China, and only time will tell how long the company can comfortably stay in its relatively insulated position.
