NIO ET7 Customer Deliveries Kick Off In China As Planned

As promised earlier this month, NIO has started delivering its ET7 electric flagship sedan to Chinese customers on March 28.

The first batch of ET7s were delivered today to buyers at the company’s headquarters in Hefei, Anhui province, by NIO manufacturing and quality experts. 

The formal commencement of ET7 customer deliveries is an important milestone for NIO as it marks the brand’s fourth model to enter production and the first sedan—the other three are SUVs (ES8, ES6 and EC6).

The ET7 is also NIO’s first model based on the second-generation technology platform, NT2.0, which brings over 100 configurations for comfort, safety and smart technologies as standard. 

The flagship sedan is also equipped with Banyan, the brand-new, evolving software system for the NT2.0. The vehicle will also offer a subscription service to NIO Autonomous Driving (NAD), expected to be available from the fourth quarter of this year in China, depending on the region.

NIO says that users in more than 80 Chinese cities have tried the ET7 in person since the kickoff of test drives on March 5. The company claims it converted test drives into orders on a much higher than expected rate, without providing specifics.

While the company did not specify how many customers took delivery of NIO ET7 today, in one of the photos showing the parking lot (see below) we can spot more than 50 sedans alongside SUVs from the brand.

The company did note that delivery times will vary from region to region because of the COVID-19 pandemic. NIO is expected to announce March deliveries on April 1, including ET7.

The NIO ET7 starts at RMB 448,000 ($70,400) in China, before subsidies. The price can be reduced by at least RMB 70,000 for customers who choose the battery rental service BaaS (Battery-as-a-Service).

Even so, the ET7 still is priced above China’s maximum purchase subsidy threshold of RMB 300,000; still, it qualifies for subsidies as it features battery swap capability. Individual customers are eligible for a subsidy of RMB 11,340 for the NIO with the standard 75-kWh battery pack or RMB 12,600 for the model with a 100-kWh battery. 

The 150-kWh pack claimed to offer a range of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) on the NEDC cycle is not yet available to order.