This Chinese manufacturer doesn’t mess around and copies Tesla’s interior

Why would Nio bother when it can simply and shamelessly reproduce the interior of a Tesla Model 3?

Ahhhh, it’s the grand return of the Chinese copy! It’s hard not to fall into stereotypes or even be shocked by the sheer audacity of the Chinese manufacturer NIO, which has resorted to a simplistic approach for its new Onvo L60: copy-pasting the interior of the Tesla Model 3. It took a few months to achieve this, and its electric SUV (with a rather friendly exterior design) is finally available.

Tesla-style Minimalism

At the front, except for the steering wheel, you are seated in the interior of a Model 3. Large central screen, drink holder, double wireless charger, minimalist dashboard, and ambient lighting. At least, to convert Tesla customers to Nio, this guarantees they quickly find their bearings.

The problem with this plagiarism-based approach is that NIO will always be one step behind. The disappearance of all physical buttons is, for example, one of the major complaints expressed by Tesla customers that could quickly lead to a regression. The same goes for the large central screen, which, while impressive, forces constant diversion of one’s gaze from the road—a problem that arose in 1993 with the Renault Twingo…

Tesla-style Rear Screen

The discomfort continues at the back where a digital screen to entertain the kids is also housed in the extension of the central armrest. To be honest, it’s the best way to get sick with your eyes glued to the floor. This is a bad idea that NIO could have avoided, especially at a time when kids have tablets and smartphones. High mounts on the back seats would have been much more appropriate. But in trying to copy, you can fall into gaping traps.

This “NIO Onvo L60 affair” obscures the primary qualities of this otherwise ultra-modern model, the production of which was launched on Thursday, August 14, 2024, in China. The Chinese manufacturer hopes to produce one million units and is aiming for a starting price of 219,900 yuan, or about 28,000 euros. That’s a certain sum when a Tesla Model Y starts at 249,900 yuan (31,700 euros) and the Model 3 at 231,900 yuan (29,500 euros) in China.

The Onvo L60 promises an electric consumption of 12.1 kWh per 100 km thanks to an aerodynamic coefficient of 0.22 and a 900-volt platform. Better yet: NIO promises a mixed range of over 1000 km according to the Chinese CLTC homologation cycle for the version known as the Ultra Long Range Battery. Yet another rich idea… that is useless, since you need to stop for a bathroom break from time to time. Therefore, dragging around hundreds of kilos of battery is counterproductive and unnecessarily expensive for the customer.

Strangely, on this point, it’s uncertain whether NIO will be copied… or only by fools.

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