The European market will soon have another electric SUV on offer, this time brought to life by Chinese car manufacturer Nio and badged the EL8. It’s big, it’s powerful, and it will also be quite expensive. Designed to rival the likes of the BMW iX and Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, the EL8 is fitted as standard with a 75 kWh battery pack that gives it 463 km of range on the WLTP cycle. Those wanting to do road trips across Europe would be wise to opt for the larger 100 kWh battery as it provides 508 km of range.
All EL8 models rock the same dual electric
motor setup. This consists of a 241 hp motor at the front axle and a 402 hp one
at the rear axle, combining to deliver 643 hp and 850 Nm of torque.
The luxurious SUV can hit 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds, an impressive time
when you consider it’s 5,099 mm long, 1,750 mm wide, and stands 2,199 mm tall. Nio hasn’t said how much it
weighs but it should be quite heavy.
Nio will only sell the EL8 in Europe with
six seats. There are plenty of eco-friendly materials found throughout the
cabin, including foam cushions made with soybean and a plant-based woven suede
headliner. Nio has also installed a 23-speaker, 2000-watt surround sound
system, ambient lighting, and laminated glass. Shoppers can order the EL8 with
14-way adjustable seats in the second row with an armrest or can opt for the
Executive Console which adds a fridge and a console. Like most new EVs hitting
the market, the EL8 is laden with screens, including a 12.8-inch infotainment
display up front, a digital instrument cluster, a head-up display, and a
6.6-inch display at the rear.
Interestingly, the Nio EL8 is not an
all-new product. The car has been on sale in China for over a year but is known
as the ES8. Like the Chinese model, the one to be sold in Europe features 33
high-performance sensors, including a LiDAR, to provide advanced self-driving
capabilities. Nio will sell the EL8 from € 82,900 (US$ 88,700) in Germany and it
will also be available in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands,
although prices for these markets haven’t been announced at this stage.
