NIO ET5 from a female perspective, aesthetics is unexpectedly the top priority?

On September 30th, 2022, NIO officially delivered the first batch of ET5 vehicles.

ET5 has recently become incredibly popular and gained widespread attention! As someone who attended the Chengdu Auto Show in person, I have to say that the penetration rate of new energy vehicles is indeed increasing.

During the 2022 Chengdu Auto Show, NIO’s CEO, William Li, stated the following: “With the delivery of ET5, I think within a year, ET5’s sales in China should exceed that of the BMW 3 Series.”

Soon after, Qin Lihong, the President of NIO, confidently expressed that ET5 was set to achieve more than 10,000 monthly deliveries by the end of this year, and even stated that the internal goal is even higher!

But where does this confidence come from?

Today, 42 Garage also visited the first delivery site in Shanghai, where the lucky first ET5 owners couldn’t wait to share their experiences.

Perhaps, you can find the answer in the words of these three lucky ET5 owners.

Interview 1: Young Mom – A-MO

Beauty is justice; this statement cannot be more true.

As a woman, I couldn’t help but admire the aesthetics of NIO: the simple and exquisite appearance, the sleek back design, the through-tail lights, and the panoramic glass roof all contribute to a sense of luxury. The gentle pink color, when combined with the electric violet color, is truly sensational.

As a frequent NIO car buyer, MOMO listed several reasons why she chose ET5:

1. As someone who prioritizes aesthetic design, ET5 is the best-looking electric car within her 500,000 RMB budget.

2. The NIO brand is trustworthy, and she believes in their after-sales service.

3. As a vehicle for commuting, a car that is too long would be inconvenient, so she passed on the ET7, finding ET5’s size more suitable.

As a commuter car, MOMO doesn’t have significant demands on space and handling, so aesthetics became the most critical aspect in her car-buying decision.

Of course, at this point, you might argue that the Xpeng P7 and Tesla Model 3 are quite attractive as well.

Here is what I learned:1. The overall appearance of XPeng P7 is indeed very attractive, but it lacks an electric tailgate and does not have a separate door opening button for the trunk, which does not suit my driving habits.

2. Tesla’s exterior design is undoubtedly impressive: a sports car look and frameless windows. However, the interior is too simple for my taste, so I was deterred from buying it.

As a repeat buyer of NIO, MOMO’s family already owns a first edition ES6 and ES7. So why did they choose NIO so steadfastly?

Firstly, at the beginning of the car-buying decision, I decided that I needed a pure electric vehicle. The reason is simple: there is a charging post at my home.

In early 2019, there were very few pure electric vehicles on the market, and only two brands were relatively well-known: BYD and Tesla. Model 3 did not meet my family’s car needs. As my first pure electric vehicle, I preferred to choose an SUV with relatively large space.

The NIO brand awareness has been built excellently, and its service after purchase far exceeds my expectations. I’m willing to pay for it.

Interview 2: The Gentle Ms. Flora

This is a very elegant Ms. Flora, and her white ET5 matches her clothes exceptionally well today.

This is Flora’s first car.

At the scene, you can directly feel the joy of the first batch of car owners. So, how to become a first-time delivery user? Actually, there is no trick, summarized below: Blessing of luck and speed.

When asked why she chose NIO, Flora’s answer also surprised me.

I hardly compared any competing products. My friend works at NIO and recommended it to me.

The “battery swapping” supplementary energy mode of NIO is too attractive to me.

When I first saw the ET5, I fell in love with it at first sight because it is just too beautiful.

Starting with the exterior and remaining committed to stunning appearance, congratulations to the beautiful Ms. Flora on taking delivery of her car. I also look forward to Ms. Flora’s follow-up sharing of her driving experience.

Interview 3: The Decisive Power Given by the Wife —— Mark

At the scene, I also met Mark, a male car owner who will take delivery in October. How can Wenny miss this opportunity! Go for it!

The interview was a very wonderful experience. Although the questions were mostly similar, a variety of answers were given.

Mark gave two decisive reasons for choosing ET5:

1. I like the battery swapping system of NIO.In today’s diverse market of new energy vehicles, although there are many options for “battery swap” new energy vehicles, the number of NIO’s battery swap stations really gives a sense of security, especially in Shanghai, where as of September 30th, there are already 88 battery swap stations.

There are currently many car companies building their own “fast charging stations,” but I value the energy replenishment system that allows both energy replenishment and battery swapping.

At present, no company has successfully implemented 800V technology, and from a construction perspective, 800V requires higher capacitor requirements. With the increase in the number of fast charging piles, the difficulty of capacitor transformation will also increase.

Compared to others, NIO’s “battery swap” system is highly competitive.

2. The decision to purchase the car is in my wife’s hands, as she is enamored with the aesthetics of the NIO ET5.

The size of the ET5 is also very suitable for her. Fortunately, we have a great understanding between us, and I am also very appreciative of the appearance of the ET5.

Regarding the selection of accessories, Mark also gave some suggestions:

1. I chose the fully equipped version of the ET5 with a 100 kWh battery when purchasing the vehicle.

Because I have a requirement for long-distance travel and want to correspondingly reduce the need for replenishing energy.

Of course, as the number of NIO car owners increases, the 100 kWh battery can also reduce the queue time at battery swap stations. On the other hand, Mark, as a native northerner, considers the average temperature below zero degrees Celsius during the Spring Festival in northern China, and the 100 kWh battery becomes the first choice.

2. The 20-inch wheels with Aerospace Blue make the ET5 even more eye-catching.

Although the selection of 20-inch wheels will have some influence on its cruising range, I already have a large battery and the battery swapping system, so I am really not worried about the cruising range of my electric vehicle.

The Aerospace Blue color is very special, and its pure and deep color will bring you more joy and longing.

In conclusion

It is well known that all ET5 vehicle delivery users were selected blindly. What surprised me was that the common point I found was “I was conquered by its aesthetics.” I suddenly became very curious about the proportion of men and women who have placed orders for the car.

With my “novice” perspective, I couldn’t help but ask the question: Apart from the budget, what is the most important factor you consider when buying a car?

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.