Stunning Nio ET Preview Concept Would Be A Win For The U.S.

Starting its operations in 2014, Chinese car company Nio already reached the spotlight of the car industry. At the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show, it revealed the elegant sedan-coupe called the ET Preview Concept, but you may have heard about it after the Nio EP9 set a Nurburgring lap record for electric cars. While the Nio only sells one electric SUV in China (more than 10,000 of them are on the roads), the ET Preview Concept is a rather surprising proposition for the future. In Shanghai, almost everyone revealed some sort of electric SUV, but Nio went with a fastback sedan. It is the one to compete with the likes of the Tesla Model S and the new Polestar 2. I will go on a limb here and say that it looks better than any one of them.

The Nio ET Preview Concept Is Much More Than An Electric Car

Believe it or not, BMW i designers (ones that initially worked on the i3 and the i8) fiddled with the design and structure of the ET Preview Concept. That gives some more credibility to the company who really wants to go an extra mile with the design and the usability of its vehicles.

Speaking about the design, I have to note that Nio integrated the large panoramic roof into the design, along with cool carbon inserts. I find it pleasing, easy on the eyes, and undoubtedly beautiful. Matrix LED headlights and cool rear lights (apparently their flash replicate puls of a human hearth) take the design to a higher level. While not as impressive as the EP9, the ET Preview Concept certainly feels more realistic and actually feasible. Yet, this is only a concept - the one that, apart from presenting an all-new car, also shows the evolution of Nio's philosophy.

Called "One click for power," Nio's supercharging solution includes access to Nio charging vans. Basically, for, 40 bucks a month, you can summon a charging van that will come to the designated location and swap the depleted battery in your Nio for the charged one. Apparently, this is so popular that the charging service has already been used over 93,000 times.

Those figures are according to the Chinese version of the European NDEC testing procedure, so take that as you will. If the EPA assessed its abilities, its range would fall to 240-250 miles

The ET Preview Concept is quite powerful too - its 220-kW motor combo (permanent magnet motor up front and induction motor in the back) should be able to accelerate it to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds. The official data is, of course, hidden or possibly, nonexistent. This is a concept after all. One with Level 4 autonomous drive capability at that.

Nio Already Sells an SUV Called the ES8

The Seven-seating ES8 is quite a different beast to the ET Preview Concept. First of all, there's more than 15,000 of them on the streets and its electric motors equal to 641 horsepower and 620 pound-feet of torque. Enough for acceleration to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. It's price starts at somewhere near $70,000.

Conclusion

I like it. The motors inside aren't crazy powerful, and the size of the thing seems to be just right. It looks to be a perfect competitor with the Model S, Audi E-Tron GT, or the Polestar 2. Only, it is not a real thing.

“The ET Preview represents NIO’s exploration of an all-new car body,” the company says, “whose sleek new contours combine elegant proportions with power and beauty through a minimalistic design.”

Nevertheless, something similar to the ET Preview Concept will come in 2021. After Nio sees all the positive feedback, I am quite sure that that "something" will look a lot like the ET.

All I can say is:

- "You could be happy here, I could take care of you. I wouldn't let anybody hurt you. We could grow up together, E.T."

- E.T. Phone Home