Nio officially opens its first European showroom in Oslo today. At the same time, the Chinese manufacturer of electric cars will announce what the introduction model Nio ES8 should cost in Norway.
The Chinese Nio announced earlier that it would open a first ‘Nio House’ in Oslo in the third quarter of this year. With the opening date of 1 October, that ultimately just didn’t work out, but we give the newcomers that extra day. Nio starts its activities in Norway with the ES8, a large SUV that has been around since 2017. Those who are not fond of high-legged plants will have to be patient until the ET7 is added to the range next year.
75 or 100 kWh
The ES8 will be available in Norway with two different battery packs. The entry-level version already has a fairly serious 75 kWh on board, good for a WLTP range of 375 km. This car costs 609,000 Norwegian kroner, which funnily enough translates into a pleasantly under a psychological limit placed 59,947 euros.
There is more range thanks to a version with 100 kWh, which should be able to reach a distance of up to 500 km. For this car Nio asks converted almost 67,000 euros. The more expensive variant is also available a little earlier: with 100 kWh, the ES8 will be ready in March, the ‘entry-level’ will follow in July.
For comparison: an Audi E-tron is available in Norway from 600,100 Nok, but that is a 50 with a range of about 300 km. Moreover, that is for options, and the Nio is a lot more spacious, with a choice of six or seven seats. The SUV offers a usable 310 liters of luggage space behind the third row of seats and even 871 liters behind row two (E-tron: 660 liters). With everything flat, 1,901 liters go into the ES8.
Boss
More interesting than the car itself is perhaps that Nio gets to work almost immediately with the installation of battery exchange stations. The Chinese firmly believe in this concept and state that 20 such Power Swap Stations will already be available in Norway by the end of 2022. This strategy also means that the battery can be obtained separately from the car, as Renault did with the Zoe, among others. Nio calls this product ‘BaaS’, which stands for Battery as a Service. Under the banner of that program, the Nio ES8 suddenly only costs 51,000 euros, but there is a monthly minimum of 138 euros for the rental of the basic battery of 75 kWh. If you want 100 kWh, you will have to spend almost 2000 NOK each month, or just under 200 euros.
According to Nio, this recipe has a number of advantages. This way you shift the consequences of degradation to the supplier and it is possible to switch between the smaller and the larger battery as desired, so that the latter is only used when it is also used.
Cafe
The first base in Norway, the Nio House in Oslo, has a floor area of ​​no less than 2,100 square meters over two floors. It’s a hip happening with a cozy, living room-like atmosphere, including a cafe and a library. For those who want to see it with their own eyes: Nio is located at Karl Johans Gate 33 in Oslo. Nio sees Norway as the first step of much larger European plans. So you can rest assured that the brand will also be launched in the Netherlands in the foreseeable future.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl