Shanghai (ZXZC)- Chinese EV startup NIO will launch its sixth production model, the ES7, at the end of May this year, Qin Lihong, co-founder and president of NIO, revealed on March 30.

Slotted between the ES6 and the ES8, the yet-to-be-launched model would feature a level of intelligence comparable to that of the ET5 and the ET7, Mr. Qin said in February.

At the latest quarterly earnings call held last week, William Bin Li, chairman and CEO of NIO, said the ES7 is a full-sized five-seater SUV built on the NT2.0 technology platform and is to compete with the BMW X5L. Delivery of the ES7 is expected to kick off in the third quarter this year.

According to the spy shots surfacing on social media platforms, the ES7 might be longer than the NIO ES6, but shorter than the NIO ES8. The design and layout of the sensors mounted on the roof is similar to that of the ET7 and ET5.

Mr. Li also noted NIO planned to deliver and launch three new models this year. The ES7 is one of them. In addition, the startup announced the formal commencement of the delivery of the ET7 on March 28. The ET5, the fifth mass-produced model and also the second sedan model of NIO, made its world's debut at NIO Day 2021 in December last year.