Nio ET9: High-tech from China meets European skepticism

They had imagined it differently. Chinese automakers have so far failed to flood the European market. Their sales figures are rising, but lagging behind expectations, which is not primarily due to high import tariffs. Cars from new brands without a long history, initially sold only online, through dealer chains, and more recently directly from China, are finding little customer confidence. The brands could disappear as quickly as they came, leaving behind uncertainties regarding spare parts and residual values.

In addition, the software adaptation of driver safety systems, voice control, and semi-autonomous driving on European roads lags far behind the capabilities of Chinese traffic. Recently, the first brands have begun to target the European small car segment, and now the high-margin upper and luxury segment.

Nevertheless, many Chinese manufacturers are currently making a fresh start in Europe and are confidently presenting themselves at the IAA in Munich. Among the Chinese innovations is the Nio ET9. The innovative startup is asking €103,000 (€87,000 if you rent the battery) for its top model in Germany, while the brand's future beyond the coming year is currently unclear. Company founder and CEO William Li has declared 2026 a crucial year, as Nio is earning too little to recoup its high investments.

Given the low production numbers, it's doubtful that the new ET9 will change anything in this regard. However, this long vehicle with its luxurious features deserves closer scrutiny. Its handling is significantly superior to that of other Chinese luxury electric vehicles. Initial drives in the ET9's home country demonstrate the car's qualities.

The old-school notchback sedan has largely outlived its usefulness in the Chinese premium segment, a fact that German manufacturers are feeling particularly acutely. Chinese people prefer spacious four-seaters with a sloping rear end. The 5.33-meter-long Nio ET9 follows this form as a fastback sedan that almost resembles a station wagon. The model's strengths lie in its lavish comfort features and the high level of sophistication of its driver assistance systems in China. The semi-autonomous driving functions, tailored to Chinese conditions, are impressive.

The wide, fully quilted nappa leather individual seats in the rear offer the most comfortable seating. Equipped with 20 electrically adjustable positions, heated, ventilated, and massage functions, the seats can be electrically adjusted to a 135-degree recline with extendable legrests. There are fold-out aluminum tables, a 10-liter refrigerator, and individual screens with personalized controls—of course, even voice-controlled via the AI-assisted avatar Nomi. This is at least standard for Bentley.

The ET9 is powered by an electric motor on each axle. Together, they produce 520 kW (707 hp) and 700 Nm of torque. This propels the 2.8-ton vehicle from zero to 100 km/h in just 4.3 seconds. The sprint is achieved without the front-end heave typical of Chinese luxury sedans, and without annoying body roll when cornering. An active hydraulic suspension, which operates four times faster than the equivalent in the Porsche Panamera, levels the ET9 perfectly.

In addition, cameras detect road damage before it is reached. The chassis electronically prepares the body. Even more so than the predictive system in the Mercedes S-Class, Nio uploads the detected irritations anonymously to the cloud, which is accessible to all users of the brand's vehicles. If a Nio hits the same pothole three times, the event is recorded in the navigation system for all Nio customers, explains Product Manager Jonathan Rayner. This creates a constantly growing, swarm-based database of Chinese road conditions – and a comfort experience that would previously have been unthinkable in Europe due to data protection concerns.

The ET9 owes its remarkable maneuverability to rear-axle steering, and its precise handling to steer-by-wire steering without a mechanical steering column. Developed by ZF, Nio has adapted it for European roads. After the test drives, it's clear: the ET9's handling and comfort levels surpass its Chinese competitors and bring it close to the sedans of German premium brands.

The drive is powered by a 100 kWh battery, which can be recharged from 10 to 80 percent of its capacity in 20 minutes – with a maximum charging power of 600 kW. Alternatively, it can be swapped at Nio battery swap stations, which are still few and far between in Europe. A full battery is sufficient for a range of almost 500 kilometers (WLTP). A second battery with a capacity of 135 kWh is planned.

NIO developed the ET9 within three years, as the key components were developed entirely from scratch in-house, says product manager Rayner. He attributes the speed to the development concept, which tackles the software before the hardware. The ET9 uses a platform with a 925-volt architecture and the most innovative battery currently available, as this drives up costs. Only then does Nio adapt the peripheral hardware, right down to the vehicle structure made of lightweight aluminum and high-strength steel. The time savings are achieved through the overlapping quality assurance processes of both platforms and the early adaptation of production tools.

Nio's driving test cycles are also more punctual than those of traditional manufacturers because heat and cold tests can be conducted in China, where all kinds of traffic and road conditions are encountered. Time-consuming travel to Australia, South Africa, Northern Canada, and US metropolitan areas is eliminated.

The innovative edge of Chinese electric vehicles over those from Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea is most clearly demonstrated by semi-autonomous driving in China. For years, Chinese manufacturers have been collecting data on traffic scenarios on millions of kilometers of highways, in thousands of megacities and rural areas. In addition, every car sold continuously feeds new data into the cloud. This learning process, which began before the pandemic, has gained a pace that is increasingly leaving European brands dependent. Only through cooperation with Chinese partners can they catch up.

For European customers, the Nio ET9 is a high-quality executive sedan with significant price advantages over those of European brands. Its significant potential for safety and comfort features can only be exploited to a limited extent in the current European data protection environment, and it lacks a sustainable brand image. Consequently, Chinese upper-class and luxury sedans will hardly achieve significant sales volumes in these less price-sensitive segments in Europe.

The test drive was supported by Nio.