Nio Unveils New EC7 Crossover Coupe and ES8 SUV

China is the epicentre of EV manufacturing, be it the EV-related components and battery packs to the cars themselves. As Chinese EV manufacturing underwent a boom in the past decades, many companies are trying to set up their own EV start-ups, with numerous of them seeming too good to be true.

Of many EV marques that sprouted across China, Nio is one of the promising ones out there, having penetrated into international EV markets such as Germany, Norway, the UK and even US. Already producing a number of premium EV models ranging from sedan to full-sized SUVs, Nio is poised to extend its EV line-up by debuting the all new EC7 crossover coupe.

Dubbed as the mid-large flagship coupe SUV, the Nio EC7 sports a slanting roofline that gives it a very sporty stance, compared to its standard midsize SUV twin, the ES7. The sporty roofline, plus the flush door handles and rakish windscreen give the EC7 a drag coefficient as low as 0.23 – essentially making it one of the lowest drag coefficient SUV crossover in the world.

Aside from that, the EC7 also comes with an active rear spoiler – first-time featured in any Nio EVs – that activates automatically in certain situations such as during high speed cruising and sudden braking. The roof is also donned with massive panoramic glass with electrochromic technology that essentially allows five levels of roof transparency, ranging from clear to all-black opaque.

On the performance front, the EC7’s battery pack comes in either 75, 100, or the 150-kWh capacities, which Nio claims can offer maximum travel ranges of up to 490 KM, 635 KM, and 940 KM (CLTC) respectively. Regardless of the battery capacity, all EC7 will come with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive (AWD) powertrain setup that outputs about 644 HP (480 kW) and 850 NM, thus enabling it to sprint from nought to 100 KM/H in only 3.8 seconds – definitely not too shabby for a midsize SUV.

Moving into the cabin, the EC7 boasts a massive 12.8-inch infotainment display that is mounted vertically above the central console. The front seats come with massage functions, where both are wrapped in perforated synthetic leather in order to allow the heating and cooling functions to work. Special to the front passenger seat is the addition of a footrest that can be activated via a dedicated button.

The driver gets a respectively large 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, while the rear passengers get a smaller but much-welcomed 6.6-inch display, as well as heated seats with power recline. Other interior amenities include a tri-zone climate control system, smart fragrance system, as well as a 23-speaker Dolby Atmos sound system.

On the other hand, Nio has also unveiled the updated version of its three-row flagship SUV, the ES8. Said update sees the ES8’s exterior become more streamlined with soft curves and more minimalistic facade. In terms of dimension, the new ES8 measures a tad bit bigger than its previous iteration, where its overall length and wheelbase lengths grew about 77 MM and 60 MM respectively.

The ES8’s performance spec mirrors the EC7, as this full-size SUV also comes with dual-motor AWD setup that outputs 644 HP and 850 NM, powered by either the 75 or 100-kWh battery pack with a range up to 605 KM. However, the same can’t be said on its acceleration numbers, as the bigger ES8 takes about 4.1 seconds to go from nought to 100 KM/H – still an impressive number for a seven-seater.

Both the EC7 and ES8 underpin Nio’s second-gen EV platform that feature intelligent multi-beam headlights, 33 high-performance sensors, as well as LiDAR mounted on its roofs. 

In China, the Nio EC7 starts at around ¥488,000 (RM309,593) for the base spec, and can go up to ¥546,000 (RM346,389) for the range-topping spec with 100-kWh battery pack. Meanwhile, the Nio ES8 is priced at ¥528,000 (RM334,970) for the baseline model, while the top-spec ES8 with a 100-kWh battery pack commands a heftier price tag of ¥586,000 (RM371,765).

For comparison, the sole mid-size EV SUV currently available in the Malaysian market is the BMW iX, which comes with a maximum travel range of 425 KM and a price tag from RM379,800. However, there is no full-sized EV SUV with three-row seats being on sale in the local market, as of writing. But rumour has it that Volvo might bring the recently-launched EX90 electric SUV to Malaysia as early as 2023.

Folks, what do you think of these brand new Chinese SUV EVs? Keen to see one of these in our local market? Should Nio decide to venture into the Malaysian EV marketspace, it’ll definitely put on a great fight against fellow premium EV marques such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.