At Nio Day 2021 on December 18th in Suzhou, China, the company unveiled its ET5 smart electric sedan, a mid-size model aimed directly at Tesla’s market-leading Model 3. The new battery-electric vehicle draws on the overall design of the larger ET7 along with its high-performance sensors in its roof for assisted and later autonomous driving.

With a drag coefficient as low as 0.24, the five-seater is 4790 mm (188.6 in) long, 1960 mm (77.2 in) wide, and 1499 mm (59.0 in) tall on a 2888-mm (113.7-in) wheelbase. Its 1.28-m² all-glass roof is said to be best-in-class.

Engineered to meet the five-star C-NCAP and Euro NCAP standards, the ET5 boasts an ultra-high-strength steel/aluminum hybrid body with a torsional stiffness of up to 34,000 N·m/deg. The company credits the car’s low center of gravity of 483 mm (19 in), five-link front and rear suspensions, and wide track of 1685 mm (66.3 in) in helping to achieve a rollover-resistance rating of 1.7, which the company says is above the NHTSA‘s five-star criteria.

The ET5 uses Nio’s new-generation high-efficiency electric powertrain with SiC power module in top AWD spec features front 150 kW and rear 210 kW motors for maximum outputs of 360 kW and 700 N·m (516 lb·ft) to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.3 s. The car’s range, calculated by the optimistic CLTC (China Light-duty-vehicle Test Cycle), is engineering-estimated at 500-550 km (310-342 mi) with the 75-kW·h standard range battery, 640-700 km (398-435 mi) with the 100-kW·h long-range battery, and 1000 km (621 mi) with the 150-kW·h ultralong range battery.

The ET5 is intended to carry on the concept of the second living room. Entering and exiting are eased with the soft-close doors, with frameless windows and flush door handles, and the UWB (ultra-wideband) digital and smart key.

Inside, Clean+ polymeric material uses natural minerals and natural plant fibers to reduce carbon emissions by more than 30% in the production process compared to conventional materials. Clean+ sustainable fabric made from recycled PET bottles helps to reduce plastic waste in the ocean, and a 3D Fly Knit technique gives a more dimensional texture. It also improves the acoustic performance of the cabin. Smart, “invisible” air vents keep the instrument panel visually neat.

PanoCinema, the ET5’s panoramic and immersive digital cockpit, features AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) technologies. Nio partnered with Nreal to jointly develop exclusive AR glasses, which can project an effective screen size of 201 in (5105 mm) at 6 m (19.7 ft). The ET5-maker also collaborated with Nolo to jointly develop the Nio VR glasses with ultra-thin pancake lenses and binocular 4K display visuals.

The PanoCinema sensory experience is enhanced with a 10.2-in HDR instrument cluster, 12.8-in AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) center display, continuous software development and content creation, new 256-color “curtain” ambient lighting, and a Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 surround sound system. Other key interior features include a smart cabin camera with hands-off detection, 5G wireless network, Wi-Fi 6.0, Bluetooth 5.2, and the company’s dashtop Nomi digital assistant.

The ET5 comes with the latest NAD (Nio Autonomous Driving) system, combining Nio Aquila Super Sensing and Nio Adam Super Computing, the latter built on four Nvidia Drive Orin systems-on-a-chip. Aquila features 33 high-performance sensing units: one ultra-long-range high-resolution LiDAR, seven 8-MP high-resolution cameras, four 3-MP “high-sensitization” dedicated cameras, five millimeter-wave radars, twelve ultrasonic sensors, two V2X high-precision positioning units, and an advanced driver monitoring system.

NAD is engineered to continually enhance the autonomous driving experience in scenarios such as highways, urban areas, parking, and battery swapping. NAD’s full features will be gradually rolled out after development validation and be available via an RMB 680 monthly subscription under Nio’s ADaaS (AD as a Service) program.

With some features to be released via firmware over-the-air updates and retrofits, the NAD subscription will offer parking and low-speed maneuvering (navigated parking, remote parking assist, intelligent summoning, etc. in parking lots); NAD assisted driving (Navigate on Pilot, active lane change, steering assist, etc.) and autonomous driving capability on some urban roads and expressways.

The ET5 comes in nine exterior colors, among them being model-exclusive First Light Kiss and Sunbathe Yellow, as well as Airspace Blue—the “Nio Color of 2022.” Prices start at RMB 328,000 before subsidies, and RMB 258,000 with BaaS (Battery-as-a-Service), with deliveries expected to start in September 2022.

While the reveal of the ET5 was the highlight of the 2021 event, Nio is hoping that its Nio Day will help to define the brand and user engagement, with 490 users taking part in its co-creation and 450 volunteers supporting the effort in different cities across China. The company uses the event to provide overall updates on the company.

Nio took its first step into the global market in 2021 by entering Norway. In 2022, the company will introduce its products and service system to Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark. By 2025, it plans to establish its presence in over 25 countries and regions worldwide.

“The year of 2021 is full of challenges,” said William Li, Nio’s Founder, Chairman, and CEO. “With a positive and optimistic attitude and outlook, Nio has grown together with its users. In 2022, we will continue to double down on product and technology development, accelerate the deployment of our service network, and enter more markets globally.”

Part of those 2022 plans includes the start of orders for the company’s ET7 mid-large smart electric flagship sedan on January 20, with the start of deliveries on March 28. During the car’s preparation for mass production, 20 new features and specs have been added or enhanced, including the 0-100 km/h acceleration improved to within 3.8 s, and the drag coefficient optimized to 0.208.

The company will continue to expand its charging and swapping network. By the end of 2022, it plans to have over 1300 Power Swap stations, 6000 Power Chargers, 10,000 destination chargers across China, and connect over 30 destination charging routes including those for the Silk Road and tropical rainforest of Xishuangbanna.