Shanghai (ZXZC)- The first pre-production vehicles of the ET7, NIO's fourth mass-produced model, rolled off the assembly line on Nov. 29, indicating that NIO has started the validation of its plant's ability to produce the model in a small scale, the startup announced via its twitter-like Weibo account.

ET7; photo credit: NIO

The ET7 made its world's debut at the NIO Day held in Chengdu on January 9, 2021. With dimensions of 5,101mm length, 1,987mm width, 1,509mm height, and a wheelbase of 3,060mm, the vehicle plays in the league of full-sized sedans, which represented by the BMW 5 Series and the Audi A6L.

On Sept. 24, NIO announced the ET7 had achieved a drag coefficient of 0.208 as a result of a recent wind tunnel test, versus 0.23 initially announced.

The lower drag coefficient would help the ET7 achieve a driving range of over 1,000 kilometers with the new 150kWh battery pack, said the company.

Another new amenity NIO introduces for the ET7 is Dolby Atmos, a surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories (Dolby). Based on the cooperation NIO reached with the leading audio and imaging technology developer in mid-Nov., Dolby Atmos will be included on the standard equipment list of all NIO ET7s.

William Bin Li, chairman and CEO of NIO, revealed the ET7 is expected for scale delivery from the first quarter of 2022.