First Nio EC7 EVs ready for test drives, customers allowed to lock in orders

Test drives of the new Nio EC7 are to begin this coming Monday (April 10) across China and customers will be allowed to start locking in their orders. The company is preparing for the first deliveries to take place in May and the test vehicles are already on their way to local showrooms.

It is a busy weekend ahead for Nio employees, they will have only a couple of days to get acquainted with the new Nio EC7 before the showroom doors open on Monday morning. The company confirmed that the first test drives will be available from 10 am sharp.

Customers who want to place a guaranteed order can still do so, all that is needed is a small RMB 5,000 $730) deposit, and in return, the company doubles its value to RMB 10,000. The customers have until April 16 to place locked-in configuration orders and the deliveries of those vehicles will begin in mid-May.

Nio EC7 officially goes into production on April 17 and the deliveries will then be processed in the order in which the vehicles were configured by customers with those who paid first getting their vehicles earlier. The vehicles with the optional rear comfort package and the ones with Coral Red interior will go into production in July and August respectively.

The EC7 has the potential to become Nio’s best-selling electric SUV. At nearly 4.97 meters in length, it is larger than the Nio EC6 and it is 20 cm longer than the Tesla Model Y. In fact, its closest rival is the Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron - still shorter by 5 cm.

Nio EC7 comes with only one drivetrain - the dual-motor 653 hp and 850 Nm AWD setup send the car from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds. Customers have a choice between three battery options though. They can choose the standard 75 kWh pack with a 490 km CLTC-certified range. The larger 100 kWh comes with a 635 km rating. At a later stage, Nio EC7 will be available with the 150 kWh semi-solid which the company promises to reach a 920 km range.

First Nio EC7 owners are getting a 10-year warranty with unlimited miles, six battery swaps per month free of charge, and a free home charger. The cheapest EC7 with the smallest battery starts at RMB 488,000 ($71,000), and the 100 kWh version starts at RMB 546,000 with premium trim costing RMB 578,000 ($79,400 and $84,000 respectively).

Nio’s customers have an option not to buy the vehicle with the battery. This drops the starting price to RMB 418,000 ($60,800) in exchange for a monthly battery rental of either $142 or $244 depending on the battery size. The Premium trim starts at RMB 450,000 with this option ($65,500).

There is no word yet when Nio is bringing the EC7 to Europe and what the prices are going to be when it comes to these shores. If the company keeps the prices similar to the Chinese market, the EC7 should start at about €60,000 with the battery rental option which is almost €17,000 less than Audi Q8 Sportback 50 e-tron. The difference grows to €35,000 when we compare the EC7 with a 100 kWh battery to the SQ8 Sportback e-tron. Let’s wait and see.

Via