For quite some time now it has been commented that NIO, the Asian brand of electric cars, is preparing for the arrival of two new brands. And the most interesting thing is that both will have cheaper electric cars than the ones they are selling today. They are going to focus on Europe, so we will see them here in Spain. A spy photo of one of these models has already been leaked, an electric sedan that looks incredible, above all, because of the features with which we already know it will arrive. But it is also that this new NIO sub-brand will have prices from 25,000 euros, which is much less than the current base price of the NIO itself.
The vehicle featured in these spy photos is an electric saloon from the Alps, the new NIO sub-brand. And we already know that this model will be built on the NT3 platform. Where this unit has been sighted in China, which is where its development is taking place. And for the moment what we know is that it follows a design line similar to the NIO ET7, that it will have only one electric motor, and that it will also be based on an 800 V electrical architecture. Something that, as we already know from previous releases from other manufacturers, plays in favor of better efficiency, greater range, and also a faster charging system.
The first spy photos of NIO’s cheap electric, its first saloon of the Alps sub-brand, which will arrive in Europe with priority
Exactly like NIO’s electric cars, this electric sedan from the Alps will have interesting battery exchange technology that allows energy to be recovered much faster than with a conventional charge. So far, what we have been able to learn about the Alps brand is that they are going to have a price catalog between approximately 25,000 and 38,000 euros and that all of them will be built on the NT3 platform which as we mentioned, is the one that supports to the model of these spy photos.
In addition to this, it has previously been commented that its models will be available with a 60 kWh energy storage capacity battery as a basic configuration, and also with a 90 kWh battery for the versions with greater range. In all cases with an 800 V electrical architecture, as we mentioned before, and being compatible with the third generation of battery exchange stations. In other words, although they will be cheaper electric models, the truth is that their benefits are not going to fall short at all.
Judging by these spy photos, in terms of design it’s a saloon that looks quite similar to the NIO ET7. Now, it can be easily seen that it does not have its LiDAR sensor, nor the double camera system. And we must remember that the NIO models are using the NT2 platform. This model is going to have a body of about 5 meters long, although, yes, you have to be careful because the design could change completely before the model is finally put into production.
The brand intends that this new model of electric sedan hits the market in the year 2024, although it is still not clear what exact date. And it will do so to face options from XPeng, Deepal, and BYD, among other brands, in China. Now, from NIO they have already made it clear that their new models, which will indeed be cheaper than those embedded in the NIO range, will have priority in the European market. That’s the approach they said they’re going to take with the new Alps and Firefly sub-brands.
