NextEV is the latest electrically focused Chinese car maker, and you’ll be able to buy its products beginning with 2017 – but only if you live in China.
However, not the recently unveiled EP9, because the record-setting supercar that managed a time of 7:05 minutes on the Nurburgring won’t be available for purchase. Not yet, at least.
Like many Chinese automakers before it, NextEV made its entrance in the automotive world with a stunning-looking (and presumably capable) machine, but their first production-spec product will be a completely different animal, offered by their NIO sub-brand.
According to Auto Express, NIO’s first model will be an electric sedan, said to borrow some design cues from the EP9:
“The frontal identity, the rear lighting – we call them the spark beats – and the chiseled side”, said David Hilton, senior design director.
Named the ES8 (short for Electric Sedan 8), the vehicle will rely heavily on an aluminum construction, and will be offered exclusively in China, as NextEV chairman William Li explained:
“We have to establish our core competitiveness in China first.”
Moreover, Li said that the ES8 will be pitched against the likes of BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Lexus, but will offer a more competitive price, with the company looking to manufacture 100,000 models a year. As of now, there are no technical details about the upcoming automobile, but the model will go on sale in late 2017.
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