Nio officially launched the ET7, EL7 and ET5 in Europe last month, with deliveries of the ET7 already starting on October 17, although it is currently only available in lease model.
(Ralph Kranz, General Manager of Nio Germany, stands by an ET7. Image credit: Nio)
The Nio ET7 has received a prestigious automotive industry award in Germany, marking the initial recognition of the premium electric sedan in Europe.
Nio won the Golden Steering Wheel award for its electric flagship sedan, the Nio ET7, in the "Medium and Upper Class" category, according to a press release today.
Since 1976 Bild am Sonntag and since 2009, Auto Bild, have awarded the Golden Steering Wheel to the best new cars. Winning the award is considered to be the most important honor in the German automotive industry.
The award combines the votes of readers and an expert jury, making it a coveted award for auto manufacturers. This year, 47 cars in 11 categories were selected, with only three finalists in each category, and evaluated by a jury of experts in a series of tests on the Lausitzring track.
"The Nio ET7 surprised - and convinced - virtually everyone on the Golden Steering Wheel jury," said Tom Drechsler, Editor-in-Chief of 'Auto Bild and Auto' at the Bild Group.
"Good seats, fine haptics, top-notch overall performance and NOMI is amazing. It can both glide effortlessly and also deliver high performance thanks to the unexpectedly wide range of driving modes available," he said.
Unveiled at the Nio Day 2020 event on January 9, 2021, the ET7 is Nio's first sedan and the first model on its latest NT 2.0 platform.
The ET7 has a WLTP range of 445 km with a 75-kWh standard range battery and 580 km with a 100-kWh long-range battery.
(Image credit: CnEVPost)
The model is equipped with four NVIDIA DRIVE Orin chips with more than 1,000 TOPS of computing power, which is standard on other Nio models based on the NT 2.0 platform.
Deliveries of the ET7 began in China on March 28 and since April it has been in the top 10 of high-end sedan sales with a starting price above RMB 300,000 ($41,400) as published by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
In October, the ET7 was No. 8 on the list, with the lower-priced ET5 also making the list in its first full delivery month.
Nio introduced the ET7, EL7 and ET5 to European consumers at the Nio Berlin event on October 7, although at that time it only allowed customers to lease rather than buy out.
The business model then generated widespread debate, with Nio management stating that the company had underestimated the demand from local users for the purchase of its models.
On October 21, Nio announced that purchase options for the ET7, EL7 and ET5 for European consumers will be available starting November 21.
"The positive feedback we have received during test drives and from Nio users over the past weeks confirm that we have a very convincing electric vehicle ready to compete with the very best. This prestigious award once again confirms this," Ralph Kranz, General Manager of Nio Germany said, according to the Nio press release.
NIO ET7 test drive: A comfortable luxury sedan that also allows for intense driving
