Chinese electric vehicle maker NIO’s new sedan, the ET5, will begin deliveries to its first consumers on September 30, with lock-in for orders opening on September 9, said NIO co-founder and president Qin Lihong at the Chengdu auto show, which opened on Friday.
He expects ET5 sales to surpass those of the gasoline-powered BMW 3 Series in China within a year.
The BMW 3 Series is one of the most popular premium sedans in China. In July, sales of BMW 3 Series in China reached 14,764 units, up 21.2% from 12,186 units a year earlier, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). In January – July, sales of BMW 3 Series reached 96,907 units in China, down 15.6% from a year ago.
The NIO ET5 will be built at the company’s second plant in the NeoPark in Hefei, Anhui province, and Qin said he is confident that the model’s capacity will climb faster than other models.
He said that ET5’s specifications improved from those announced at its launch late last year and the model’s acceleration time from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour has improved from 4.3 seconds to 4 seconds.