One year after revealing the ET9, Nio has officially launched the flagship sedan that retails for 788,000 yuan (about RM485k) before options. The Chinese carmaker is also offering the ET9 First Edition, which is priced higher at 818,000 yuan (RM503k) and limited to 999 units, all of which were sold out within hours of the launch.
Measuring in at 5,325 mm long, 2,017 mm wide, 1,621 mm tall and with a considerable wheelbase of 3,250 mm, the ET9 is a large electric vehicle (EV) that only has four seats. Luxury and comfort are the key selling points here, with the sedan coming equipped as standard with the brand’s SkyRide Intelligent Chassis System.
This integrates steer-by-wire, rear-wheel steering and full active suspension, the last of which is supplied by ClearMotion, a company that Nio has invested heavily in. Reminiscent of Bose’s ‘Project Sound’, the ET9’s active suspension system features dampers that are independently controlled by hydraulics to deliver an exceptionally comfortable ride.
In addition to bringing out champagne glasses for a demonstration, the company also compared its offering to a Mercedes-Maybach S-Class with Jenga blocks. Referring to a video posted on Weibo, the tower of blocks remained intact in the ET9 while the one in S-Class collapsed when travelling over speed bumps – the Nio EV also showed considerably less body movement during this exercise.
The focus on preventing as much of the outside from intruding extends to the interior, which is decked out with features and materials you’d expect of a luxo-barge. These include premium Nappa leather upholstery, real maple wood trim, a suede headliner, seven powered sunshades, a dual-pane powered sunroof with lighting, comprehensive ambient lighting, C-pillar reading lights, a centre console that integrates a safe box and a refrigerator and a deployable tray table.
It doesn’t stop there. The rear “first class” seats come with 20-way power adjustability, sliding footrests as well as heating, ventilation and massage functions. The chauffer and bodyguard at the front aren’t deprived either, as they too get multi-way, power-adjustable seats with the same comfort options, while the entire cabin is kept cool by a four-zone climate system that includes PM2.5 air purification, an anti-bacterial and anti-allergen activated carbon filter, plus a smart fragrance system.
There’s no shortage of technologies on show either, including Qualcomm’s SA8295P chip, Nio’s AI-driven SkyOS with a NOMI digital virtual assistant screen, a 15.6-inch AMOLED infotainment touchscreen, a full-width head-up display as well as a 35-speaker sound system with 2,800W of amplification and support for Dolby Atmos. Rear passengers get their own 8-inch touchscreen and another touchscreen in the centre console to control various vehicle functions.
For advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), the ET9 gets Nio’s NX9031 chip that is part of its Adam 2.0 computing platform. This works with one ultra-long-range high-precision laser radar, two side wide-angle laser radars, one 4D imaging radar, seven high-definition cameras, four surround view cameras, driver detection sensors, one GPS unit, 12 ultrasonic sensors and a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) system.
The list of functions is vast and includes all-direction autonomous emergency braking, automatic emergency steering, blind spot monitoring, lane change warning, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, front and rear cross traffic alert with braking support, automated parking assist, adaptive cruise control with steering support and many more.
As for the powertrain, the ET9 is built on a 900V electrical architecture – a world first – and comes standard with a dual-motor setup that sees the front unit serving up 245 PS (241 hp or 180 kW), while the rear is rated at 462 PS (456 hp or 340 kW). Together, the total system output is 707 PS (697 hp or 520 kW) and 700 Nm of torque.
This is the only configuration offered, with the nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) battery pack, which uses Nio’s self-developed 46105 cylindrical format battery cells, having an energy capacity of 100 kWh – this is good for between 620-650 km of range following China’s CLTC standard.
Buyers can opt for the company’s Battery as a Service (BaaS), which discounts the car by 128,000 yuan (RM79k) but adds a subscription of 1,128 yuan (RM694) per month. Given its wheelbase, the ET9 will not be compatible with first- and second-generation Nio battery swap stations, which necessitates new stations that support it.
Deliveries of the ET9 will start in China in March 2025, and the EV will compete against ultra-luxury limos offered by premium German brands such as Mercedes-Maybach, BMW and Audi. Among Chinese brands, the Maextro S800, a joint development between JAC Group and Huawei, is a notable contender.
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