Nio ES8 launched in Norway, ET7 to follow this year [Update]

Update: ‘ET7 deliveries begin in China’ section added.

The much-awaited Nio Norway launch announced on 6 May 2021 took place on 30 September 2021. The Nio ES8 became the brand’s first model to go on sale in Norway. The Nordic nation is the Chinese automaker’s first export market worldwide, and it plans to expand to more European destinations gradually.

Video Source: YouTube/Nio

Nio ES8 Norway launch

Nio has launched the ES8 in Norway in 75 kWh and 100 kWh battery pack variants. The ES8 standard-range costs NOK 609,000 onwards and the ES8 long-range NOK 679,000 onwards. Customers can buy the ES8 without the battery and use Nio’s Battery as a Service (BaaS) optionally. In that case, the vehicle’s purchase price reduces by 90,000 (standard-range)/NOK 160,000 (long-range). The BaaS subscription costs NOK 1,399 per month (standard-range)/NOK 1,999 per month (long-range).

Norwegian Nio ES8 customers can opt for BaaS regardless of the battery option they choose. Image Source: Nio

The Norwegian-spec SUV employs two motors, one at the front and one at the rear, and these deliver 400 kW and 725 Nm of total torque. The best possible WLTP range of the ES8 is 375 km in the standard-range variant and 500 km in the long-range variant. Regardless of the battery pack option chosen, two seating layout options are available: 2+3+2 and 2+2+2.

On January 14, 2022, Nio rolled out its first firmware over-the-air (FOTA) update outside China. Originally, the ES8s delivered in Norway came with Aspen 3.0.0, a firmware developed exclusively for the country. The FOTA update swaps it with the newer ‘Aspen 3.0.5 NO’ firmware. The updated firmware brings extended default duration of cabin pre-conditioning, a power assistant, and NOMI Debug to the ES8 in Norway. Cabin pre-conditioning running for a longer duration by default should improve the user experience in winter. Power assistant helps users to find charging stations, and NOMI Debug lets them provide feedback to NIO with a voice note.

Nio House Oslo

Nio has opened its first showroom in Norway in Oslo. Located at Karl Johans Gate 33, the national capital’s nucleus of culture and commerce, it’s the largest user centre in Norway, spreading over an area of 2,100 square metres. That’s the place where Nio launched the ES8 in the country. It’s a two-story building having a display area for products and services on the first floor and the NIO Cafe, Library, Forum, Lab, Living Room, and Joy Camp areas on the ground floor. The latter is exclusive to Nio users.

Nio has brought its lifestyle brand Nio Life also to Norway. Together with two local artists, Anette Moi and Sandra Blikas, it has designed the Nio Norway collection for sale in Norway and China.

The first Nio House in Norway is at Karl Johans Gate 33, Oslo. Image Source: Nio

This year, Nio will open four centres in Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, and Kristansand. The Chinese automaker aims for a nationwide presence from this year. William Bin Li, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Nio, said during the company’s Q2 2021 earnings conference call that Nio Norway has a team of 40 employees.

Nio swap stations & chargers in Norway

Norway will get 20 Nio Power Swap Stations by the end of this year, and the first of them, located in Lier, 30-odd minutes away from Oslo, is operational. With its wide battery swapping network, Nio plans to connect five major highways and cities for its customers by the year-end.

Hayler has told TopElectricSUV.com that the Nio Service and Delivery Center in Oslo (in Ensjø) that opened in 2021 will have a swap station. Nio is delivering the ES8 to customers at another location, but it will change the delivery location to this permanent facility shortly. The company is already offering after-sales service there, though.

By the end of 2021, our aim is to build four swap stations in and around the Oslo region to provide users in the Oslo region with an experience where you worry as little as possible about the range. With the swap stations, you can easily travel to your cabin on the weekends without charging. During 2022, our plan is to bring swap station to Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, and Kristiansand. But let me assure you that Nio Power swap stations will also be placed on other locations in Norway.

Marius Hayler, General Manager Norway, Nio, in 2021

Nio Norway customers will get to use the company’s own charging stations and also Plugsurfing charging stations. “We will have a cooperation with Plugsurfing to provide our users with European-wide charging capability through more than 20,000 charging points,” said Hayler.

Norway will get 20 Nio Power Swap Stations by the year-end. Image Source: Nio

Nio car service stations

Nio was to open its first delivery and service centre in Norway in Oslo in October 2021. The company had said that this facility would have a floor space of 1,800 square metres and that it will offer a pick-up and delivery service in Oslo and four more cities. The company has already built up its own professional service team to provide a premium service experience to Nio customers. It will provide a mobile service for the ultimate convenience of maintenance and repairs.

In 2021, our plan is to cover five main cities through our own Nio Service Center and authorized service centers, and in 2022, our network will expand to more cities across Norway.

Marius Hayler, General Manager Norway, Nio, in 2021

The first NSC (NIO Service and Delivery Center) in Norway is located in Oslo/Ensjø. Image Source: Nio

Nio Norway launch a crucial step in the global expansion

Though a small country, Norway is a crucial destination for automakers because of its policies. It is seeking to ban ICE vehicles by 2025. Norsk elbilforening (Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association) has said that EVs accounted for 64.5% of new car sales in 2021. No other country in the world has created such a record.

Of the 176,276 new cars sold, which was the highest ever new car registration figure in 35 years, 113,715 units were electric cars. The share of EVs in new car sales grew from 54.3% in 2020 to an astonishing 64.5% in 2021. The Road Traffic Information Council (Opplysningsrådet for veitrafikken) said that if the momentum continues, 500,000 EVs will be plying on Norwegian roads in March.

Nio has five models in its Chinese portfolio. The Nio ES8, a Tesla Model X rival, is the flagship SUV. Below it is the Nio ES6, a Tesla Model Y opponent, and this model has a coupe version as well – Nio EC6. The Nio ET7 goes up against the Tesla Model S, while the Nio ET5 is a Tesla Model 3 alternative.

ET7 deliveries begin in China

In May 2021, Nio built the first validation prototypes of the ET7, which it plans to launch in Norway this year. Image Source: Instagram/Nio

Customer deliveries of the Nio ET7 started in China on March 28, 2022. Nio engineers treated buyers with a special reception at the brand’s headquarters in Hefei. They were handed the keys to their EV at the plant. This is a milestone moment for the brand as the ET7 becomes the first electric sedan by Nio to go on sale—the rest of the models are all SUVs for now. The brand seems to have garnered serious customer interest in the ET7, as test drives have been conducted in over 80 cities in China.

Nio to ramp up production

To meet the growing demand when exports begin, Nio has planned to ramp up production, say reports from China. The company has struck a deal with JAC and Jianglai for joint manufacturing of Nio vehicles and related fee arrangements. JAC already produces the ES8, ES6, and EC6, at the JAC-NIO factory in Hefei, China. Jianglai is a JAC-Nio joint venture company for operation management in which Nio holds a 49% stake.

From May 2021 to May 2024, JAC will continue manufacturing the ES8, ES6, and EC6 and also build the ET7, ET5, and other new Nio models yet to go on sale. JAC will increase annual production capacity to 240,000 units. Jianglai will be responsible for parts assembly and operation management. In fact, the ET7 started rolling of the production line from March 24, 2022, and customer deliveries have started as well.

Another CnEVPost report has said that Nio plans to sell 50,000 units of the ET7 this year, which will be the first year of sales for the new model. This annual sales target, including the European allocation, converts to an average monthly sales target of 4,167 units, which if accomplished, would take away the best-selling Nio model title from the ES6.

Nio sales in 2021

Nio closed 2021 posting a solid year-over-year growth of 109.1%, with a total sales of 91,429 vehicles. The company’s cumulative sales of the ES6, EC6, and ES8 grew to 167,070 units last year. Other highlights for the year were the release of six FOTA updates for the ES6, EC6, and ES8, installation of 4,582 superchargers and destination chargers, and opening of 15 Nio Houses and 72 service centres. The company has 778 Power Swap stations worldwide now.

Nio Norway sales

The company completed deliveries of the first batch of ES8 in Norway on the launch day. It is yet to release the annual sales figure, but wasn’t expecting a big volume in 2021. At the Q4 2021 earnings call, Steven Feng, the brand’s CFO mentioned that Nio delivers about 108 units every month in Norway. Despite the figure being relatively modest, its a great confidence booster for the company.

The company is initially focusing on brand-building by ensuring high customer satisfaction and a good sales and service network. It has set up a Nio Norway User Advisory Board together with its prospective customers.

Some 700-800 people signed up for the Nio Norway User Advisory Board, nearly four times that of the company’s expectation. The preliminary feedback is that the Norwegians are excited about the company battery swapping stations and the BaaS business model.

While Nio doesn’t expect the sales in Norway to match China, it is observing another statistic there that is better than in its home market. During Nio’s Q3 2021 earnings conference call, Bin Li said that one-fourth or 25% of those who take a test drive are placing an order. “This shows to me that basically, the efficiency is much higher compared with that of here in China,” Bin Li added.

Developments from Nio Day 2021

Nio Day is an annual event that takes place in China. Most recently, it took place on 18 December 2021 in Suzhou. Nio unveiled the ET5 midsize sedan at the event, another NT2.0 platform-based model, one that is smaller and more affordable than the ET7. Prices start at CNY 328,000 (EUR 45,585) before subsidies or CNY 258,000 (EUR 35,856) with BaaS.

It was at Nio Day 2021 that the company announced that it had made 20 changes, including new features and specification improvements, during the preparation for mass production. The ET5 and ET7 are two of the three NT2.0 platform-based models the company plans to put on sale this year in China.

Nio plans to expand its charging network to include 6,000 Power Chargers and 10,000 destination chargers in China this year. It will have a total of 1,300+ Power Swap stations in its home market by December. Globally, the company wants to grow its presence to more than 25 countries and regions worldwide by 2025. This year, it plans to enter Germany, Sweden, and Denmark. Clean Parks, an ecosystem co-building plan to support nature reserve protection and establish a clean and low-carbon energy cycle system, was another global announcement during Nio Day 2021.

Nio ET5 confirmed for Norway

With Nio looking to expand its footprint in Norway, brand’s founder and CEO William Li has confirmed that the ET5 will arrive in Norway and other European markets by spring 2023, according to a January 23, 2022 report by Cnevpost. As aforementioned, the Nio ET5 sits under the flagship ET7 and it will be the brand’s fifth production model. The vehicle has been available for pre-order since it was announced at Nio Day, and Chinese deliveries are set to begin around September 2022. The Nio ET5 would be the big launch here, as it would lock horns with Norway’s new best-selling car – the Tesla Model 3.

On January 23, 2022, the first ET5 prototypes rolled off the line for validation and testing in China. Image: Nio

The ET5 measures 4.79 m in length, 1.96 m in width, and 1.49 m in height. The mid-size sedan gets a 2.88 mm wheelbase. Nio has installed 2 motors in the ET5, a 150 kW induction motor on the front axle, and a 210 kW permanent magnet motor on the rear. These produce 360 kW of total power and 700 Nm of total torque.

A 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint in the ET5 takes as little as 4.3 s. Brakes with in-house developed 4-piston fixed callipers with aluminium casting bring the electric sedan to a stop from 100 km/h in a distance of 33.9 metres. Nio has planned the ET5 in China with 75 kWh Standard Range, 100 kWh Long Range, and 150 kWh Ultralong Range battery options which provide a range of over 550 km (341 mi), over 700 km (435 mi), and over 1,000 km (621 mi), respectively, as per the company.

Nio U.S. launch

A report Global Times published in 2021 provided insight into Nio’s business strategy. Qin Linhong, Director and President, Nio, told the Chinese publication at Auto Shanghai 2021 (April 2021) that the Nio U.S. launch might happen in the mid-to-long-term future. “US car verification standards are different from those of Europe or China, so we need to redevelop our car models to enter the US, which we have no energy to do now as a start-up, but we will do it later,” Qin said.

Featured Image Source: Nio

Keyword: Nio ES8 launched in Norway, ET7 to follow this year [Update]