NIO ES8 can be reserved now，355 Km in NEDC, 4.4sec to 60mph,7 seater suv, 4,480,000-5,480,000RMB

Thanks for that, @Hanson! I just now finished watching the presentation and I have to say, I'm quite impressed. If Nio can deliver on most of what they promise, this company could grow very quickly and outsell everybody in its segment. I imagine they could also do quite while in the U.S., if the price point stays competitive.

I especially love the AI assistant integration. Nomi has great interactivity and if it can perform as well or better than other AI systems, it can create an emotional attachment that just doesn't exist in other cars.

Things I don't like or am skeptical of? Battery swapping and battery leasing. I'm not sure what value is added by charging separately for battery and vehicle. In the end, both components are pointless without the other, so why break up the cost? Regarding the battery swapping, I hope they've done their math, because we now have two examples where it's been tried and failed -- Better Place and Tesla.

I don't have a deep enough understanding of the Chinese market to predict how, exactly, Nio will affect other players in that market. I don't think it will kill Tesla, though. In fact, it may be a boon for them if it attracts a lot more attention to the viability of electric vehicles in general. Tesla still can offer overall better performance, with much more range from the Model X and performance from the P100D. Because of its much higher price, it's not as good a value, overall, (at least until it can begin its China factory and avoid huge tariffs) but that higher price also signals prestige. If Tesla minds its hubris, it should even learn from Nio and adjust accordingly. It should be interesting to watch the play between the two companies unfold.

Any way, I would urge anyone interested in electric vehicles to watch the presentation themselves. It's was very professionally staged and confidence building -- sort of the opposite of Faraday Future's disaster. There's a ton here to unpack, so I hope others post their impressions too.

 

1) I believe they mention only 30% of Chinese cities have access to charging at home, so I definitely understand how it can accelerate adoption. I just worry the cost of building enough packs and the stations (plus the property for the stations) may be too high. That said, the Gogoro scooter company seems to be having success with the model in Taiwan, though their batteries are inherently a lot cheaper.

2) I understand not including the cost of the battery makes the upfront vehicle cost cheaper. But people will still need to pay the monthly charge for the battery and Nio will need to make enough money from those monthly charges to eventually pay for the battery cost to them, so instead of having one payment to a bank, they will now have two payments, one to the bank and one to Nio, which should be about the same amount if Nio included the battery cost in. To me, it's juggling numbers without adding any actual savings. So, they can say it's less than 10,000 RMB, but it's not really true, since it's required to make battery payments as well.

3) I like the fact that they've promised to give customers a path to upgrade their batteries. This is good for customers and the environment. Still, even if the price of the battery and car were bundled together as it is for most cars, a better battery could still be installed.

I would not be surprised to see Nio much bigger in China than Tesla is. There are just more people who can afford to pay for the Nio. Aside from that, looking at the crowd, I could see a strong emotional connection being made, just as Tesla, Apple, and a few other companies have managed to do by offering an experience that delights in unexpected ways.

Appreciate your perspective. You know the market there better than any of us, I imagine, so your participation here is very helpful.