Nio officially enters Europe, ES8 on sale in Norway from July Car News

Chinese electric vehicle brand Nio has confirmed that it will begin its European deployment in the coming months, with its ES8 SUV available to order in Norway from July.

Nio’s European Vice President Hui Zhang recently told Autocar that the company is on track for a European launch in 2021, but has yet to decide which country it will sell cars in. first.

Earlier this year, Norway became the first country in the world where the majority of new car sales were purely electric cars. Nio CEO William Li said the Scandinavian country is “at the forefront of electric mobility and sustainable growth”, which, combined with its “strong sense of community and high purchasing power” , makes it a “perfect fit” for Nio.

The ES8, on sale in China since 2018, is a rival to the seven-seat Tesla Model X with a combined output of 641 horsepower thanks to its four-wheel-drive, dual-engine powertrain and WLTP-certified range of 310 miles. . Prices will be confirmed in the coming months, before customer deliveries from September.

The ES8 will be followed in Europe in 2022 by Nio’s 644bhp ET7 sedan, which claims a range of over 621 miles with its largest battery and has a set of advanced range features.

Specifically, Nio also intends to roll out its ‘Power Swap’ battery replacement service in the European market, which it says “automatically replaces vehicle batteries in three minutes”. Four stations are expected to enter service this year, with several more to follow in 2022, creating a battery exchange network in five Norwegian cities.

Nio will also build a “Supercharger” network in Norway and offer its customers the installation of a custom home charging device.

As Zhang explained to Autocar, Nio’s European business model will revolve around the same “online-to-offline” (O2O) system it uses in China. Customers can place orders through a dedicated Nio application, while physical “Nio House” centers will provide the brand with a physical presence in the market.

The first of these centers will open in central Oslo in the summer. It is described as “a privileged meeting place for Nio users and fans of the brand” and will include conference rooms, a playground, a restaurant and other “experience spaces”. Four more Nio House centers will open in Norway in 2022.