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Nio ET5

Saturday, Sep 30, 2023 12:00 AM

Chinese EV firm’s first European-developed model is a Tesla Model 3 rival that comes as an estate Nio has been coy on its plans to launch in the UK, but it now seems inevitable that it will happen in 2025.The Chinese electric car maker is already present in five European countries, the most recent addition being Germany, and Europe is the focus of its latest car, the Nio ET5.Previously, all Nio models have been created in China and then tuned to European tastes. The ET5 is the first Nio electric car to have been created in Europe for Europe.Like any good executive car, the ET5 is available with a saloon or estate bodystyle, the latter of which Nio claims is a first in the premium segment. In truth, there’s unlikely to be much cross-shopping here between the ET5 and Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric or MG 5 SW EV.Both the saloon and Touring versions are 4790mm long and have a generous 2888mm wheelbase. That makes the ET5 almost identical in length to the BMW i4 and around 10cm longer than the Tesla Model 3, so it’s pitched at the core of the premium compact executive market. A 4.8m-long car is hardly a tiddler, but for now and the foreseeable future, the ET5 will be Nio’s entry-level offering in Europe. Nio believes premium car makers shouldn’t drop below a certain size and price, and the ET5 is at the lowest end of that.It’s a junior sibling to the ET7 flagship saloon, a BMW i7 and Mercedes-Benz EQS rival that’s also on sale in Europe. The other Nios available in Europe are the EL6 and EL7 SUVs and, in Norway, the larger Nio ES8 SUV.