Nio ET9 Debuts As An Ultra-Luxury Tesla Model S Rival

The all-new Nio ET9 debuts in China as the marque's latest flagship EV saloon

Say hello to the all-new Nio ET9 – the brand’s latest flagship luxury EV saloon that finally made its debut during the Nio Day 2023 event last week. Touted as Nio’s most premium offering to date, the ET9 is positioned to compete against the likes of the Tesla Model S, BMW i7, and Mercedes-Benz EQS in China’s ever-competitive flagship EV saloon segment.

Much like its smaller sibling, the Nio EC7, the ET9 sports a rather unconventional design for a saloon, featuring a coupe-style fastback roofline plus a surprisingly high ground clearance a la SUV crossovers.

Aside from its unorthodox body style, the ET9 still retains some of Nio’s signature styling cues, including the sharp front end with slim LED DRLs and a full-width tailight bar at the back, while riding on massive 23-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels with self-leveling central caps. Elsewhere, other typical EV bits like a retractable active rear wing, hidden door handles, and many more are presented here.

While the car looks somewhat 'midsized' in pictures, the ET9 is a pretty big car, measuring 5,324 MM long, 2,016 MM wide, and 1,620 MM tall, with an extended wheelbase of 3,250 MM. For comparison, the EQS only measures 5,265 MM long, 1,520 MM tall, 1,926 MM wide, and has a wheelbase of 3,210 MM.

The Nio ET9 comes with a well-equipped cabin, featuring a four-seater layout with airline-style rear seats

By far the most impressive part of the ET9 is its screen-laden cabin, which is primed with a slew of modern creature comforts. Featuring a four-seater layout, the two airline-style rear seats can be reclined back at up to a 45-degree angle while featuring 11-way adjustments that can be operated with a single click.

Aside from the plush seats, the rear seats also come with two 14.5-inch AMOLED screens mounted on the back of the front seats, a smaller 8-inch tablet-style screen, as well as a built-in refrigerator – the latter two placed within the back seats’ central armrest console. For better privacy, the ET9 also comes with seven electric sun shades, including the two for its split glass roof.

Meanwhile, at the front, the ET9 gets a bigger 15.6-inch AMOLED infotainment screen that floats above the front dash. While Nio has yet to reveal the full image of the ET9’s front dash, it is reported that drivers will get a dedicated head-up display instead of a traditional instrument cluster, plus a retractable steering wheel design that can be stowed away when drivers engage the smart pilot function.

The Nio ET9 rides on the brand's new third-gen EV platform with a 900-volt battery architecture

Under its sleek and bulky facade, the Nio ET9 rides on the marque’s new third-gen EV platform that features a 900-volt battery architecture – a first in the Chinese market. This setup grants the ET9 a peak power charging rate of up to 600 kW, which allows a 255 KM of EV range in just five minutes of charging. Unfortunately, for now, Nio has yet to reveal the maximum EV range the ET9’s 120-kWh swappable battery pack garners.

Motivation, on the other hand, is provided by a dual-motor AWD setup that delivers a total system output of 697 HP (520 kW). Similar to maximum range figures, Nio has yet to publish the official performance figures this setup garners the ET9. Aside from its peppy dual-motor setup, the ET9 also sports Nio’s Sky Ride intelligent chassis system, which comes with a fully-active damper system with hydraulic shock pumps, rear-wheel steering, and many more.

As for now, the all-new Nio ET9 flagship EV saloon is a Chinese domestic market exclusive

Now available for booking in China, deliveries for the all-new Nio ET9 EV saloon are set to commence later in Q1 2025, with prices starting at CNY800,000 (RM517,938). As for now, the ET9 will be a domestic Chinese market exclusive, with the automaker yet to reveal any plans to export it into other international markets.