[Video] Nio shows off ET9's safety in extreme scenarios as Chinese EV makers race for better tech

• Nio showed how the ET9 performs when both the front and rear tires on one side blow out at high speeds in a new video as a response to praise from Huawei's Richard Yu.
• Yu yesterday demonstrated the safety of the Maextro S800 when the front tire blew out at high speed.

Nio (NYSE: NIO) has showed off the ET9's safety performance in extreme scenarios in a new video, after a Huawei executive praised the model at the Maextro S800's tech event yesterday.

The electric vehicle (EV) maker's vice president of product, Ted Li, shared the video on Weibo last night, showing a high-speed ET9 remaining stable when both front and rear tires on the same side of the vehicle blew out.

Nio ET9 performance in front and rear tire blowouts:

Nio officially launched the ET9 at Nio Day 2024 on December 21, 2024, with a starting price of RMB 788,000 ($108,620) including the battery pack, and deliveries are expected to begin in March.

William Li, the company's founder, chairman and CEO, showed a demonstration video at the time featuring the sedan's safety performance when driving in a straight line at about 160 km/h experiencing a rear tire blowout, as well as when driving in a curve at 80 km/h experiencing a rear tire blowout.

Nio ET9 performance in rear tire blowout:

After that, the Nio team was further enhancing the safety boundaries of the ET9, said Ted Li.

Last week, the Nio ET9 completed even more difficult challenges, successfully handling scenarios in which it suffered tire blowouts on one side of the car, both front and rear, while driving in a straight line at speeds of more than 150 km/h, as well as while driving around a curve at speeds of more than 80 km/h, he said.

Ted Li said the company had originally planned to share the video when deliveries of the ET9 begin, but shared it earlier as Huawei's managing director and chairman of the smart car solutions business unit, Richard Yu, yesterday mentioned the model's safety performance in the event of a rear tire blowout.

Earlier yesterday, Yu demonstrated the Maextro S800 sedan's safety performance in the event of a front tire blowout at a Maextro tech event and praised the ET9.

"Nio's William Li demonstrated the ET9's performance in the event of a rear tire blowout at its launch and they did a great job. In the Chinese automotive industry, everyone is working hard," Yu said.

While praising the ET9, Yu said the Maextro S800 has accomplished a more difficult safety challenge of a front tire blowout while driving in a straight line at 120 km/h.

Maextro S800 performance in front tire blowout:

Maextro is a new automotive brand jointly created by Huawei and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group (JAC), and the Maextro S800 will be officially launched in May, with an estimated price tag of RMB 1 million to RMB 1.5 million.

William Li retweeted what Ted Li shared on Weibo last night and praised the Maextro S800 for its performance.

"Nio did several tire blowout tests before the ET9 was launched, and previously, we only shared the video of the rear tire blowout because rear tire blowout tends to cause the vehicle to fling its tail, which is much more dangerous," William Li said.

"Today we share the video of the front and rear wheel tire blowouts at the same time. It's better for CEOs to do this kind of tire blowout tests themselves," he said, inviting Huawei's Yu to co-conduct such tests.

Yu responded to William Li on Weibo today and invited him to the Maextro S800 launch event in May.

"Technology is the foundation of HIMA (Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance) and what our users and the times demand of us, we welcome Nio to join us in chasing after each other on the runway of innovation!" Yu wrote on Weibo.

($1 = RMB 7.2545)

Huawei-JAC joint brand Maextro to officially launch S800 luxury sedan at end of May

More on Nio

Nio signs deal with Beijing state-owned firm to build 100 swap stations

William Li talks about Nio's product roadmap, profitability prospect in wide-ranging interview

Nio Firefly has been targeting global markets from day 1, says president

Nio Q4 2024 earnings call: Live updates

Nio posts record net loss in Q4 as SG&A rises further; gross margin improves slightly

CATL to up its bet on Mirattery, Nio's battery asset operator, report says

Nio to open NWM trial in Apr, eyes on if that can help regain clout in smart driving

Nio opens test drives of ET9, deliveries to begin on Mar 29