Nio previously said that ET5 deliveries would begin in September 2022, but the expected first delivery date was announced.

(Image credit: Nio)

The first pre-production vehicles for the Nio ET5 recently rolled off the production line at Nio's second advanced manufacturing base at NeoPark in Hefei, Anhui province, the company announced today.

This marks the beginning of Nio's production line validation of the vehicle's low-volume production capacity, ensuring that all parts are in marketable condition and marking the ET5 closer to actually reaching deliverable status, the company said in an article posted on the Nio App.

Nio unveiled the ET5, the company's fifth model and its second sedan after the ET7, at the Nio Day 2021 event on December 18, 2021.

The Nio ET5 was available for pre-order at the time of the unveiling and deliveries are set to begin in September 2022, but an expected first delivery date was not announced.

During the pre-production phase, the line will continue to improve the quality status of components and vehicles, and improve the operational skills of line personnel, according to an article in Nio today.

Small-volume production run validation also takes place during this phase to make the line production-ready, Nio said, adding that its team's regulatory certification work for components such as the smart cockpit and instrumentation also takes place during this phase.

When the pre-production phase is complete, the ET5 will enter the final mass production phase, Nio said.

The Nio ET5 is getting closer to being available, and the company will announce more information about the model at the Chengdu Motor Show on August 26, according to the article.

On July 20, local automotive media Yiche reported that the interior of the Nio ET5 may be officially unveiled during the Chengdu Motor Show 2022 event, where consumers will be able to experience it for themselves.

Chengdu Motor Show 2022 will be held from August 26 to September 4 in Chengdu, Sichuan province, southwest China.

However, it is worth noting that in an August 19 report, Yiche said that the ET5 will gradually become available in showrooms from early September when the vehicle's interior will be officially opened to consumers.

Nio is expected to begin allowing consumers to lock in their orders at that time, last week's report said.

NIO ET5 said to be available in showrooms from early September