Nio ET5: The Chinese Rival to the Tesla Model 3 Coming Soon to Europe

The Chinese manufacturer Nio’s European expansion plans are becoming clearer. Here’s a summary.

Chinese automaker Nio, one of Tesla’s main rivals in China, is preparing for international expansion. The brand made its debut in a first foreign country, Norway, at the end of 2021. It launched its first model, the ES8, and opened its first battery exchange stations, in partnership with Shell.

It was during a gathering of 20 customers organized on Saturday, January 22, by its Norwegian branch, that founder and CEO William Li provided updates on European expansion via videoconference. Here’s a recap.

As such, we already knew that Nio would launch its large sedan ET7 in Norway in 2022. We also knew that it would enter four other European countries in the same year: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands. It was known that only models based on the NIO Technology Platform 2.0 (NT2.0) would be launched, excluding the ES8, which is based on the first platform.

Read also: Modular battery: how Nio promotes the removable battery concept

When is the ET5 coming to France?

William Li did not specify on Saturday which of the ES6, EC6, or ET7 models would be launched this year in which of the five countries (excluding the ET7 already planned for Norway). However, he made a much-anticipated announcement: he confirmed that the ET5 would be launched in Norway and “several other international markets” in spring 2023.

These “other international markets” are probably the four new European markets already planned: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands. In other words, there are no current plans to market the Nio ET5, first presented at the end of 2021, which will compete with the Tesla Model 3 with impressive range and competitive prices in France.

Nonetheless, ambitious buyers might be able to import one via brokers from Germany or the Netherlands…

Read also: Nio ET5: the Chinese Tesla Model 3 promises record-range