Recently, 2024 NIO DAY was held at Haixin Arena in Guangzhou. At the launch event, NIO officially announced the price of its flagship executive sedan - the NIO ET9, with a starting price of ¥788,000 for the full vehicle, and ¥660,000 for the BaaS battery leasing option. Additionally, NIO ET9 offers a First Edition model priced at ¥818,000, with a BaaS battery leasing option at ¥690,000. According to reports, deliveries are scheduled to begin in March 2025, with First Edition models taking priority.
Reviewing the exterior, the NIO ET9 continues the design characteristics of the NIO family products. The split headlights feature extended Double-Dash daytime running lights in the upper portion, while the lower HDPL intelligent high-definition projection headlights combined with the Aqulia 2.0 system can project zebra crossings for pedestrians and display tracking light carpets when turning. The NIO logo is suspended in the center of the front, with a sharp nose protrusion and an inward-recessed closed panel below, complemented by a trapezoidal lower grille and silver front lip, enhancing the layered appearance of the entire front face. The roof center features LiDAR, with cameras on both sides, and two additional LiDAR units on the left and right fenders, responsible for side and rear vision, providing hardware support for advanced autonomous driving.
On the side profile, the NIO ET9 adopts a fastback design, featuring concealed door handles and frameless electric suction doors, along with wheels designed in a steady style. Dimension-wise, the NIO ET9 measures 5324/2016/1620mm in length/width/height, with a wheelbase of 3250mm. At the rear, the NIO ET9's slim taillights are connected by black trim, creating a through-type design, though when illuminated, they display interval linear light sources that echo the front headlights. A hidden electric rear spoiler is included, and together with the sculpted trunk lines, it further enhances the rear's layered appearance.
Regarding the interior, the NIO ET9 no longer features a vertical large screen, instead adopting a 15.6-inch floating AMOLED central control screen. The front of the center console features a horizon line screen spanning 1.4 meters, which can display different lighting effects according to various interior themes. The NIO ET9's steering wheel adopts a flat rectangular design with paddle shifters.
The rear of the NIO ET9 features two independent seats that can recline up to 45 degrees and are equipped with a 16-point massage system. The rear also includes two 14.5-inch executive screens and one 8-inch multi-function control screen, along with executive table boards, a 10-liter capacity electric refrigerator, makeup mirrors, and other features. Additionally, the NIO ET9 offers a "Sky Island" design and executive bridge design, as well as seven physical sun blinds in the rear.
In terms of power, the NIO ET9 utilizes an all-domain 900V architecture, compatible with 500V-1000V charging stations. The front motor delivers a maximum power of 180kW, while the rear motor provides 340kW, with a peak torque of 5000N·m. The ET9 is equipped with self-developed 46105 cylindrical batteries, featuring a peak charging power of 600kW and a peak current of 772A. The energy density reaches 292Wh/kg with a capacity of 120kWh, enabling 255km of range in just 5 minutes of charging, while battery swapping takes only 3 minutes.
Why is it priced at ¥788,000? Li Bin explains that market pricing itself is a form of positioning, and if your technology and experience can support a higher price, it has its benefits. On the other hand, we need to return to a basic logic: look at how much the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, or Maybach cost in the US and European/German markets. Actually, there isn't much difference; this is very important. They cost just over 100,000 USD or EUR in their home markets, while in the Chinese market, many factors exist in their own business decisions, including tax-related reasons. According to Li Bin, the NIO ET9 First Edition has already sold out, with orders exceeding expectations.
The NIO ET9 is currently NIO's highest-priced model. NIO's existing lineup includes the ES8, ES6, ES7, EC6, EC7, ET7, ET5, and ET5T, covering mid-to-large SUVs, mid-size SUVs, mid-to-large cars, and mid-size cars, all priced above ¥300,000, with the NIO ES8 being the previously most expensive model at ¥498,000-598,000.
Li Bin previously stated that the reason for launching the ET9 was to demonstrate NIO's pursuit of technology and system innovation to the public, thereby entering BBA's niche market. It's clear that NIO's launch of the ET9 is not just about opening up new markets, but more importantly about showcasing NIO's technological capabilities to enhance its image in the electric vehicle market and gain more voice in Chinese automotive brands.
In recent years, especially in 2024, the intense competition in China's automotive market has reached historic peaks. Products above ¥300,000 are competing in configurations, pricing, space, aerodynamics, autonomous driving, range, performance, and even bringing toilets and kitchens into cars. It's not hard to see that some automakers are starting to pioneer new tracks to better survive and gain consumer attention, and this applies to NIO as well.
Will the NIO ET9 be successful? Will it be a bestseller? There's a possibility, but it's not high. Let's first talk about the NIO ET9's competitors. According to Li Bin, these are mainly traditional luxury brands, including the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series, and Audi A8L, with more direct competitors being the BMW i7 and Mercedes-Benz EQS. However, due to the decline in the high-end luxury market and both models being imported, their sales in the domestic market are quite modest, with monthly sales of both models below 100 units. Therefore, against this backdrop, whether the NIO ET9 can stand out is highly anticipated.
After discussing external competitors, let's look at internal ones. The NIO ET9's main domestic competitors include two models: the ZEEKR 001 FR and the YANGWANG U7. The ZEEKR 001 FR is a brand model under HarmonyOS Smart Car, being the largest and highest-priced among the three models, with autonomous driving performance led by Huawei worthy of anticipation. The YANGWANG U7 is more driving-oriented flagship sedan, featuring a plug-in hybrid system combining a 2.0T engine with four electric motors, equipped with the DiSus-X system, making it quite impressive in terms of driving experience. In comparison, the NIO ET9's price should be the most accessible, with an overall more balanced performance - neither as luxurious and high-end as the ZEEKR 001 FR nor as sporty as the YANGWANG U7. Therefore, theoretically, the target audiences for these three models won't overlap much, but factors including brand and technology will more or less influence buyers' choices.
Previously, the ZEEKR 001 FR received 2,108 orders within 48 hours of pre-sale, which is already an impressive figure for a large sedan, inadvertently increasing market pressure on NIO. Of course, according to Li Bin, making the NIO ET9 a hit won't be easy, given that NIO's models priced above ¥300,000 are currently seeing moderate sales. Perhaps the final market performance isn't so important; what's more crucial is raising NIO's corporate benchmark and giving the market good expectations for NIO's future.
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