After introducing the ET7 large electric sedan at the beginning of the year, Chinese automaker NIO is now coming out with its kid brother – the new ET5. Unveiled during the NIO Day 2021 held in Suzhou, China, the stylish midsize family car features a design heavily influenced by its bigger sibling thanks to a sleek and minimalist look combined with a coupe-like roofline.
The 2022 Nio ET5 is the latest EV to adopt a full LED light bar on the trunk lid to provide a visual connection with the equally thin taillights. Another design trait it shares with other zero-emissions vehicles is represented by the pop-out door handles, which aside from making the side profile look cleaner, also improve airflow for better aerodynamics and increased range. The doors have a frameless layout and a soft-close function as you’ll find in luxury vehicles.
Overall, the electric sedan looks quite sporty and reminds us from some angles of the Porsche Taycan. The front design also adopts the “less is more” motif with tiny strips of LEDs for the daytime running lights along with a compact lighting module for the low/high beam. Nio decided to paint the ET5 in a new shade dubbed Sunbathe Yellow, which is exclusive to this model as is First Light Kiss. In total, there are nine hues to pick from.
The interior continues the theme seen on the outside by featuring an uncluttered look as Nio has removed most of the conventional buttons. The vast majority of functions are accessible through the massive center touchscreen, accompanied by a fully digital 10.2-inch instrument cluster. A cozy atmosphere is provided by the 256-color LED ambient lighting and a Dolby Atmos surround sound system.
Equipped with dual motors and all-wheel drive, the new ET5 offers a total output of 483 horsepower (360 kilowatts) and 516 pound-feet (700 Newton-meters) of torque. It’s enough electric punch for a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint in just 4.3 seconds in a stylish sedan that has a low drag coefficient of just 0.24. Stopping power is provided by a high-performance braking system developed in-house by Nio to fully stop the car from 62 mph (100 km/h) in 33.9 meters (111.2 feet)
The ET5 is 4790 mm (188.5 in) long, 1960 mm (77.1 in) wide, and 1499 mm (59 in) tall, with a wheelbase stretching at 2888 mm (113.7 in). Customers will get to pick from three batteries, starting off with a 75-kWh pack with enough juice for up to 550 kilometers (342 miles) of range. Up next is the 100-kWh battery providing a maximum range of 700 kilometers (435 miles), followed by the large 150-kWh pack enabling the EV to cover as much as 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). Bear in mind these numbers are based on the local CLTC test cycle.
Nio will kick off deliveries from September 2022 and claims the LiDAR-equipped ET5 has been engineered to achieve a maximum five-star rating in Euro NCAP and C-NCAP tests. It will carry a starting price of RMB 328,000 (about $51,500 at current exchange rates) before subsidies or RMB 258,000 ($40,500) with BaaS (Battery-as-a-Service).
Source: Nio
