The ET5 shooting brake is being developed for European consumers and will debut in Europe in June or July, Nio's president previously said.
More spy shots of Nio's (NYSE: NIO) ET5 shooting brake variant are circulating on social media, with the model expected to be released in a few months.
Auto blogger @德卤爱开车 shared a spy photo today of what is purported to be a shooting brake version of the ET5, saying it looks like the photo was taken at Nio's F2 factory at NeoPark in Hefei, Anhui province.
Nio appears to be testing the vehicle, according to the blogger, who didn't provide any more information.
Separately, two additional spy shots of the ET5 shooting brake were shared today in a WeChat group CnEVPost is a part of, showing the model next to a battery swap station.
The two images appear to have been taken at Nio's F1 factory in Hefei, which CnEVPost visited in late 2020.
The ET5 is the cheapest in Nio's product lineup, with a starting price of RMB 328,000 ($48,150). The shooting brake variant of the model is expected to have a higher price tag.
Spy photos of the ET5 shooting brake variant have been circulating on Chinese social media since last November, although the model has not yet entered the Chinese regulatory catalog, which is a major procedure for a model to be sold in China.
Nio will release a shooting brake version of the ET5, a sister model of the ET5, in June or July of this year, Qin Lihong, co-founder and president of the electric vehicle maker, said at an event last month.
The shooting brake variant of the ET5, which was developed for European consumers, will debut in Europe, Qin said.
Shooting brake models have a large market in Europe, while sales of sedans are low, which is the opposite of the situation in China, he said.
"Derivatives of sedans are a niche market in China, but the opposite is true in Europe. We don't see many real sedans in Europe," he said.
The ET5 is becoming the main support for Nio sales.
Nio delivered 8,506 vehicles in January, including 2,190 SUVs, and 6,316 sedans, it said on February 1.
Nio's sedan models are the ET7 and ET5. The company did not provide breakdown figures, but according to data released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on February 9, the ET5 sold 5,795 units at retail in January, ranking No. 6 in China for high-end sedan sales with a starting price above 300,000 yuan.
