Shanghai (ZXZC)- On Dec. 18, 2021, Chinese EV startup NIO launched its fifth mass-produced model and also second sedan, the ET5, at the NIO Day 2021, its most important event of the year.

ET5's pre-subsidy prices; photo credit: NIO

At the event, the company officially began the preorder of the newly-unveiled model and said the model is expected for delivery from Sept. next year. For customers who buy the car with battery pack, pre-subsidy prices of the ET5 stand at 328,000 yuan ($51,450) for the version with 75kWh battery pack and 386,000 yuan ($60,550) for the 100kWh one. Users who select the BaaS solution will buy the car for 258,000 yuan ($40,470), while need pay extra fees for the battery rental service on a monthly basis.

ET5; photo credit: NIO

Positioned as a mid-sized sedan, the NIO ET5 measures 4,790mm long, 1,960mm wide, 1,499mm tall, and has a wheelbase of 2,888mm.

The startup said the ET5's exterior design embodies NIO's supercar DNA. The youthful and dynamic image of the model is accentuated by the muscular haunches, which is inspired by the supercar EP9, the sharp creases, and the fluid silhouette inherited from the ET7. The ET5 also reflects the concept of “Design for AD” as it seamlessly integrates autonomous driving sensors into its body lines.

The ET5 comes with nine exterior color schemes, among which the Airspace Blue is the NIO Color of 2022.

ET5; photo credit: NIO

The new model's interior captures six color options. The company said the ET5's cabin uses Clean+ sustainable fabric for form a relaxing cocooning ambiance and enhance the acoustic performance. Thanks to the invisible air vents, the instrument panel looks neat and delicate. Besides, the entering and existing will be at ease with the soft-close doors with frameless windows and flush door handles, as well as the UWB digital key.

ET5; photo credit: NIO

At the ET5 launching ceremony, William Bin Li, Chairman and CEO of NIO, highlighted the PanoCinema, a panoramic and immersive digital cockpit boasting AR and VR technologies. The cockpit will create an exclusive indoor space enabled by the all-new 256-color curtain ambient lighting and Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 surround sound system.

NIO AR glasses; photo credit: NIO

Meanwhile, NIO announced the launch of the AR glasses it co-developed with the AR device firm NREAL, and the NIO VR Glasses developed in cooperation with Nolo. Exclusive to the ET5, the AR glasses only weigh 76g. The VR glasses, with ultra-thin Pancake lenses, can realize binocular 4K display effect.

According to William Bin Li, the NIO ET5's entire lineup will come standard with the NIO Aquila Super Sensing and NIO Adam Super Computing. The latest NIO Autonomous Driving (NAD) will also be applied in the ET5, and its full features will be gradually released after development validation.

The NIO ET5 can zip from 0-100km/h in 4.3 seconds and has a braking distance from 100-0km/h of 33.9 meters. Its drag coefficient stands at only 0.24. Carrying an electric powertrain powered by SiC power module, the ET5 features a CLTC range of 500km with a 75kWh battery pack, over 700km with a 100kWh battery, and over 1,000km with the 150kWh one.

ET7; photo credit: NIO

Aside from the unveiling of the ET5, NIO claimed the ET7, the company's first sedan model, will be available for delivery from March 28 next year.

As for the building of NIO's power network, the startup said it has to-day deployed 733 battery swap stations, 3,348 destination chargers, 3,136 Super Chargers, and had access to 440,000 third-party chargers.

By the end of 2022, NIO is ambitious to have in total over 1,300 Power Swap stations, 6,000 Super Chargers and 10,000 destination chargers across China.

Following the entry into Norwegian market this year, NIO plans to introduce its products and services to Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark in 2022. Its business deployment is expected to cover over 25 countries and regions worldwide by 2025.