The ET5 touring, the first of its kind to target the premium electric touring segment, may debut in Europe in June.
(Image obtained by CnEVPost)
A more European-centric variant of Nio's (NYSE: NIO) ET5 electric sedan is getting closer to its official launch.
A Nio ET5 touring, the first of its kind to target the premium electric touring segment, has been spotted on the streets of Europe, according to spy photos obtained by CnEVPost today.
The car has the yellow color exclusive to the ET5 sedan sold in China, while its rear design clearly shows that it is a touring, or hatchback, style vehicle.
(Image obtained by CnEVPost)
Nio will launch a touring version of the ET5, the ET5's sister model, in June or July, the electric vehicle (EV) maker's co-founder and president Qin Lihong said at an event in January, as previously reported by CnEVPost.
The touring variant of the ET5 will debut in Europe, and the model is developed primarily for European consumers, Qin said at the time.
CnEVPost has learned from a source that the model is expected to make its official debut in Europe in June. ET5 touring was previously referred to as ET5 shooting brake on many occasions.
Touring models have a large market in Europe, while sales of sedans are low, which is the opposite of the situation in China, Qin said at the January event.
"Sedan derivatives are a niche market in China, but the opposite is true in Europe. We don't see many real sedans in Europe," he said at the time.
The ET5 is the cheapest of the Nio product array, starting at 328,000 yuan ($47,410) in China.
The model's support for battery swap and beautiful design have made it a major contributor to Nio's sales in the past few months, selling around 6,000 units each month from January to March.
For Nio, the ET5 touring is likely to be the game changer for the company to see sales really start to grow in Europe, as local consumers prefer this kind of sedan variant.
It is worth noting that the ET5 touring will be available in China in addition to for European consumers.
At the beginning of March, the car appeared in a regulatory catalog of models that will be allowed to be sold in China, showing its exterior and core specifications.
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