Tesla is very close to starting the deliveries of its Shanghai-produced Model 3. We are not sure if this is one of the motivations for Nio, but the Chinese EV producer seems to be willing to compete with the American project. Its next mass-production product promises to be very similar to the Tesla sedan, according to the video above. It was released by the company on its Facebook page.
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Although the silhouette is very similar to that of a sedan, we would not be surprised if the new Nio was just a crossover coupé. After all, the company already has two other SUVs, the ES8 and the ES6. But we bet it will be something to confront the compete with the most affordable Tesla.
Gallery: NIO ES8
One of the reasons for that is that sedans are incredibly popular in China. Considering Nio’s efforts are concentrated in its homeland, the lack of a sedan probably makes it lose many potential buyers.
At the same time, the Model 3 is selling like hot cakes in the Chinese market even before the local version hits the streets. According to the Nikkei Asian Review, Tesla doubled its sales in China last September and only sells fewer electric cars than Volkswagen, a pioneer brand in the Chinese market, and still one of the most popular car companies there.
Gallery: NIO ES6
Nio desperately needs to have a best-seller. The company hasn't been doing well in 2019 and does not get the same love Tesla does from customers. In September, it reported a loss of $479 million in the second quarter of the year.
To make matters worse, it lost its head of design, David Hilton, the father of the EP9, precisely two years ago. Hilton is currently at GAC and has recently presented the most aerodynamic car in the world, the GAC ENO.146.
In such a scenario, the only company to propose battery swapping as a strategy could count with the help of a hot product to take a deep breath and keep moving. If the video is not deceiving us, it will be very similar to the Model 3.