NIO has revealed plans to unveil a “new variation”
of its Eve concept at Auto China 2018. The company is staying tight-lipped on
specifics but the original Eve concept was unveiled last year as a fully
autonomous vehicle which Faraday Future’s Nick Sampson claimed was a “poor
clone” of their FF91.
While the two models shared some styling
similarities, the Eve was envisioned as the future of transportation as it had
a digital companion named NOMI which was powered by artificial intelligence.
The company claimed the system would continuously learn about the interests of
passengers and tailor information to meet their specific needs.
The original Eve also featured a lounge-like
interior which could accommodate up to six different people. Notable highlights
included fold out tables, a reclining rear seat and windows which could
transition from transparent to opaque. The concept also had a glass roof and a
panoramic windscreen which used to augmented reality to display information.
The concept had a number of high-tech connectivity
features including the ability to recognize other Eve vehicles. The models
could share information between themselves and work together to platoon to
improve efficiency.
There’s no word on what the latest Eve concept will
entail but NIO will also use Auto China to showcase the ES8 crossover and the
high-performance EP9. The latter model is the more flashy of the two as it
features supercar styling and lapped the Nürburgring in 6 minutes and 45.90
seconds.
The ES8 is a luxurious crossover
which features aluminum bodywork and electric powertrain that consists of two
electric motors and a 70 kWh battery pack. This enables the all-wheel drive
model to produce 643 hp and 840 Nm of torque. The ES8 can
also accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4.4 seconds and travel 355 km on a single charge in the NEDC cycle.
