NIO’s UK greenlight bodes well for Australia
Chinese EV brand on track to launch Down Under by mid-decade with Tesla Model 3-rivalling NIO ET5Chinese EV specialist NIO is now another step closer to the Australian market following confirmation the brand will launch in the UK next year.
News of the UK launch was revealed late last week by NIO founder and CEO William Li, who told Autocar at the brand’s German launch that the NIO ET5 sedan will kick things off in the right-hand drive market.
Confirmation of RHD production and NIO’s arrival in the British, German, Dutch, Danish, Spanish and Swedish markets bodes well for prospective Aussie customers for two reasons – the primary one being the imminent production start of more than one right-hook product (see below).
The other is that the Euro and UK vehicles will provide us with an accurate preview of what’s to come in terms of the model range and specifications of each variant.
In addition to confirming the Tesla Model 3-rivalling ET5 as the first UK-bound model, Li teased the prospect of another ‘smaller’ model being scheduled for RHD production as well.
However, there was no mention on the RHD chances of the bigger NIO ET7 sedan or the NIO ES8 and NIO EL7 large SUVs.
The timing of the ET5’s local launch could well be influenced by the resounding success of the Tesla Model 3 in Australia, where other mid-size Chinese electric sedans due to launch soon include the BYD Seal and GWM-Ora Lightning Cat, as well as the upcoming Hyundai IONIQ 6.
NIO has been eying a move Down Under for quite some time now and our sources indicate that discussions have already taken place between NIO and at least one local distributor – Ateco Automotive.
Both Australia and New Zealand were highlighted on an illuminated map during NIO’s market expansion strategy announcement last year.
“We plan by 2025 to offer service to users in over 25 countries and regions across the globe,” Li said in December.
NIO is just one of several Chinese brands looking to establish themselves in Australia, where MG and GWM have already achieved considerable success and the most recent to arrive was BYD.
These include Chery (next month), GWM-Ora and GWM-Tank (2023), GAC Motors and Geely, whose parent company also owns Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, the London Electric Vehicle Company and other EV-only brands including Radar, Zeekr, Geometry and Lynk & Co, which has been confirmed for Australia by 2025.
NIO’s Euro and UK operations will be based purely around a lease and subscription strategy, but time will tell if that ends up being the case here, where all of its established rivals offer vehicles for outright purchase – including via online sales in the case of EV brands Tesla and BYD.
Related: NIO ET7 2022 Review – International
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Related: China’s NIO reveals Australian launch plan
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