The all-electric Chinese automaking giant NIO has launched the new EC6 at the Chengdu Motor Show.
The EC6 is the coupe or “sportback” version of the ES6, NIO's popular mid-sized SUV and it will have a price range between $52,441 and $74,957. This car is truly a high-tech gem but unfortunately for UK drivers, it is only available in China so far.
The EC6 has a great front interface thanks to a 9.8-inch instrument cluster, and an 11.3-inch high-definition multi-touch center display. It will be equipped with the NOMI Mate 2.0, NIO's unique digital assistant, fitted with an AMOLED full-circular display.
According to the company NOMI is the world's first in-vehicle artificial intelligence. It will work as an interactive personal assistant in the form of a voice-activated circular display on top of the dashboard that is designed to imitate a human face. It looks like that the super futuristic car that Will Smith has driven in the movie I,Robot is much closer to reality than we think.
The EC6 will have 70 kWh and 100 kWh battery options with NEDC range estimates respectively of 273 miles and 381 miles. Of course, the NEDC range rating is more generous than either the WLTP or EPA range rating systems, so the actual driving range will probably be about 25% to 33% less.
The EC6 will come with three different options – the Sport Edition, the Performance Edition, and the Signature Edition. The Sport Edition is equipped with 160kW front and rear dual permanent magnet motors and can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 5.4 seconds. However, the Performance and Signature editions will have a more potent 240kW rear motor that will produce a total of 544 hp and 535 lb-ft torque alongside the front 160kW one, and will propel the vehicle from 0 to 62 mph in 4.5 seconds.
Another fascinating aspect of this car is the fact that all NIO vehicles have unlimited free battery swapping, which can be done in a quick six minutes at one of the company’s facilities.
The inside of the car is on par with the technology, as it is very spacious and luxurious, making it a very unique vehicle.
It is unfortunate that such a marvelous product is not available to European customers (yet) as it would have the potential to quickly become a best-seller. At WhichEV, we hope that soon the Chinese company will widen its horizons so that we can test drive it.