The EC7 was launched on Nio Day 2022, December 24, 2022, and Nio had planned to begin deliveries of the model in mid-May.
(Image credit: Nio)
Nio (NYSE: NIO) began the first deliveries of the EC7 coupe SUV today, surprisingly ahead of its original schedule.
Deliveries of the Nio EC7 officially kicked off on April 28, the company said today on its mobile app, and shared several images.
Nio did not announce the number of EC7s delivered in the first batch, but said the company held delivery ceremonies in cities including Hefei, Shenzhen, Guiyang, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Taizhou and Nanjing.
The EC7 was launched on Nio Day 2022 on December 24, 2022, and the new ES8 was also launched at the event.
Nio announced plans at the time that deliveries of the EC7 would begin in May and deliveries of the new ES8 would begin in June.
The company began allowing consumers to lock in orders for the EC7 and test drive the vehicle on April 10. It said at the time that deliveries of customized vehicles for the EC7 would begin in mid-May.
The early start of EC7 deliveries could be part of Nio's effort to accelerate making its new models available to boost weak sales.
Nio delivered 10,378 vehicles in March, up 3.94 percent from 9,985 a year earlier but down 14.6 percent from 12,157 in February, according to figures it announced on April 1.
Nio's deliveries have been weak so far this month, with insurance registrations for its vehicles totaling slightly above 4,000 units from April 3 to April 23.
The EC7, Nio's second coupe SUV after the EC6, is 4,968 mm long, 1,974 mm wide and 1,714 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,960 mm.
For comparison, the EC6 is 4,850 mm long, 1,965 mm wide and 1,731/1,714 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,900 mm.
Nio offers an intelligent dimming glass option for the EC7's roof, the first time the company has introduced this option in one of its models.
The EC7 has a wind resistance coefficient of just 0.23 Cd, which Nio said is the lowest of any mass-produced SUV in the world.
The model is equipped with a 180-kW permanent magnet motor up front and a 300-kW induction motor in the rear, allowing the motor to reach a combined peak power of 480 kW. The powertrain allows the EC7 to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, making it Nio's fastest-accelerating SUV.
Nio currently offers three versions of the EC7, including a version with a 75-kWh standard range battery pack, a version with a 100-kWh battery pack, and a premiere version with a 100-kWh battery pack.
Including the battery, the starting prices for these three versions are RMB 488,000 ($70,560), RMB 546,000 and RMB 578,000 respectively.
Customers who choose Nio's battery rental program BaaS (battery as a service) to purchase the car will see the prices start at RMB 418,000 for both regular versions and RMB 450,000 for the premiere version. Their monthly battery rental costs are RMB 980 yuan, 1,680 yuan and 1,680 yuan respectively.
(1 $= RMB 6.9165)
Insurance registrations for week ending Apr 23: Tesla 10,300, Li Auto 7,200, NIO 2,000
