The Chinese version of Tesla, NIO ES8, is launched. Can consumers buy into its high-end positioning?

In the field of new energy vehicles in China, the most high-profile and promising company should be NIO. Its NIO EP9, which is known as the fastest electric sports car in the world, has made consumers realize that China can also produce high-performance cars. At the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show, NIO's first SUV model, the ES8, was officially unveiled.

In terms of appearance, the overall appearance is also very powerful. The car is over 5 meters long and the wheelbase is over 3 meters. It adopts a 7-seat design and is positioned as a medium-to-large SUV.

Although it is a pure electric car, the front face is beautiful, but the air intake grille is still retained and decorated with chrome, which is very imposing. However, the air intake grille is actually sealed. The headlights use an integrated high and low beam LED light group, with the upper part being the daytime running light and the lower part being the high and low beam, which are separated by chrome decorations, and the turn signal is designed on the chrome rearview mirror.

The new car uses 22-inch two-color wheels, which are large enough and will also use air suspension. In addition, there are obvious bulges on the front and rear fenders, which match the wheels and look very muscular. The hidden handlebars should be considered the standard configuration of new energy vehicles nowadays. They are beautiful and can effectively reduce wind resistance. Like conventional new energy vehicles, the charging ports are set on both sides of the front fenders, one for fast charging and the other for slow charging. The black roof and C-pillar create a visual experience of a floating roof. However, the door is still opened in an ordinary way, not as stunning as the gull-shaped doors of Tesla.

There is not much exaggerated design on the rear of the car, but the wavy heartbeat taillights are really eye-catching and highly recognizable. I hope they will be retained in the future. The overall shape of the rear of the car is round and full, a typical large car style. It is worthy of being a large and medium-sized SUV with a wheelbase of over 3 meters.

In addition to the headlights, there are many other places on the vehicle that emit light, such as an LED light source on the wheel arch. This is in line with the tone of new energy vehicles, but does science fiction require a lot of lights?

In terms of interior, although it is not the final mass-production version, it feels not much different from the real car. The interior of the whole car gives people the feeling of a T-shape. The horizontal lines and the vertical center console give people a very neat feeling. The material uses black and white leather material with excellent grade and texture. It is reported that ES8 will also have three NAPPA leather color schemes to choose from.

The electronic gear shift paddles on the center console are very interesting. They look very beautiful and simple, but they may not be as easy to use as the traditional gear lever. The flat-bottomed steering wheel should be the standard for new energy vehicles now. The 8.8-inch instrument panel screen and the 10-inch center console screen are very eye-catching. In addition, the round display is also very distinctive, with a sense of human-computer interaction. Since there is no gear lever, the storage capacity of the ES8 center console area is very good, and it is very convenient to put some small items. In addition, there is a large storage compartment under the center console, which can be used to place large items such as leather shoes.

Judging from the shape, the seats should be quite comfortable, and there is also a corner support for the co-pilot seat. In terms of space, since there are three rows of seats, it is not spacious overall, especially the awkward position of the second row. It seems that there is a lack of space utilization in Shanghai, but fortunately the seats are adjustable.

In terms of power system, according to the current information, ES8 adopts XPT intelligent electric power platform, adopts dual electric motor layout on front and rear axles, and has a maximum output power of 650P. It also adopts four-wheel drive, and the battery adopts a magazine-style replaceable design. The most important price has not been disclosed, but judging from Weilai's positioning and previously launched models, the final price of this car should not be too cheap.

91che (official account: 91che) believes that NIO has been pursuing a high-end route since its inception. The launch of the electric supercar EP9 has really shown China's strength in new energy. However, it is still hard to say whether this new SUV can take the lead in the hot domestic new energy market.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.