Who has chosen NIO ET7?

Author: Rezz

NIO ET7 has officially started to be delivered to the first group of car owners since March 28th, and it has been half a month.

So, why do these car owners who have already got the car, or paid the deposit, or test-driven and felt satisfied choose this car?

Does this car really fulfill its name “ET” and strike a reduced dimension to the luxury brands BBA like “aliens”?

Let’s first take a look at what the potential car owners have said.

• The following opinions are all from real NIO car owners in the community, without any deletion. Let me put them first. Please be patient, and I will summarize my own opinions at the end.

Potential Car Owner: ximenlee

Location: Yiwu

Many people around me have bought NIO. On November 1st last year, my relatives, my company clients, and my business partner and I picked up three NIO cars together in Hangzhou. I feel okay about NIO. There are some small shortcomings, but there are also many advantages, especially the recognition of battery swapping after using it for a while.

The NIO car I bought for my company client is mainly for my nephew to drive. I already have a 3.0 Touareg and two SUVs at home. I just want to buy an electric sedan, a toy with 0-100 acceleration in less than 4 seconds. I have been waiting for ET7, but to be frank, ET7 did not meet my expectations.

There are many advantages, and I won’t go into details. Quietness, acceleration, smoothness are all advantages of electric cars. The car system is much better than ES6, it feels like driving a luxury car, and the chassis tuning is much better than ES6, with a good balance of shock absorption and support, without the feeling of heaviness. It does have a sense of luxury.

I have also considered Mao Dou 3P, and there are two things I don’t like:

1. The seats are not ventilated. I am the kind of person who sweats a lot. When my back sweats, I get pimples.

2. Due to the height of the front seats, I cannot put my feet under the front seats when sitting in the back row. I feel like I have to curl up to sit in the back row. As a foreign trade businessman, if the epidemic is lifted, picking up and running with foreign clients at close range is often necessary. Also, I often go out with my family of four, so I still care about the back seat.

I haven’t ruled out NIO yet. I don’t buy an electric car solely as a means of transportation. More than half of it has the attribute of a toy. It’s good to buy it as a toy, and it’s also convenient to drive to work when not running long distances…### Intended car owner: Wuzhishan Daguoli

Location: Hainan

I am the owner of a 5 series car. I drove the old 525 from 17 to 19 and the new 530 from 19 till now. My family members also drive gasoline cars.

Initially, I wanted to experience new energy technology and try out electric cars.

I test drove the Jekko 001, but was not satisfied with its positioning and brand. I also drove a Tesla, but the exterior and interior did not appeal to me. I borrowed a NIO ES8 and drove it for half a month, but my experience was neither good nor bad. Later, I considered the L9 from Li Xiang, which combines new energy and a six-seater family car. I’ll wait until it launches in April.

A classmate who bought a NIO recommended that I take a look at the ET7. I made a deposit and upon test driving it, really liked it.

I am currently in a dilemma of whether to replace my 5 series with the ET7. Both cars cost over 500,000 RMB, and I feel that they are in the same level, so the upgrade is not that significant.

My 530 is equipped with high-end and optional features such as head-up display, assisted driving, comfortable seats, and fragrance. Although the configuration does not match the standard of ET7, it satisfies my needs. So far, I have not had any dissatisfaction with it, except for the noise from the explosion-proof tires.

The 5 series with a price of 580,000 RMB at the time of purchase was evaluated at 350,000 RMB now as a used car, and I lost 230,000 RMB. The ET7 costs 520,000 RMB and will depreciate quickly after purchase, which means that the loss from upgrading will be substantial. Therefore, I am hesitant.

I feel that those who can afford to spend forty to fifty thousand RMB on NIO may not necessarily be unable to afford the 56E. Those who are willing to spend this amount of money to buy domestic products have their own thoughts. They are not brainwashed or recruited by MLM, as some keyboard warriors might think. I have also considered the 7 series or the Pamy, but I will wait until the real era of electric vehicles arrives in 2025 before making a decision. Replacing the 5 series with the ET7 has limited benefits, and I may face the problem of product updates and devaluation after two years.

Intended car owner: PP Longcheng

Location: Shenzhen

I modified my Audi S4 to over 600 horsepower, which made it too noisy. I sold it and want to buy a quiet electric car. I am interested in purchasing the Jekko 001, NIO ET7, and NIO ES7.

First, I test drove the Jekko 001, and the comfort was much better than the S4. I was ready to make a deposit. However, the sales representative asked us to prepare beforehand as he was about to accelerate the car, and once it went beyond 80km/h, there was nothing special. Is that it?

Forget it, the electric car has no power in the rear, so I gave up. The adjustable backrest angle, huge trunk opening, and small front trunk all get good reviews. Then they told me that the YOU version of the car had to be ordered 8 months in advance before delivery, so goodbye.

Next is the ES7. In February, the CEO of NIO, Li Hong Qin, said it would be released in mid-April, but at the end of March, he changed his mind and said it would be released at the end of May. It’s still a futures contract that can’t be delivered, so bye-bye.

Finally, there is the ET7. I won’t talk about its power, as its front is strong but its rear is weak. It’s quiet and comfortable with soft seats and filtering vibrations, and everything else isn’t important for such a heavy and large car. The backrest of the rear seat is a bit straight and the angle can’t be adjusted, which is not good. The trunk opening is so small, why isn’t it a hatchback? This is not good either. Although I have two complaints, I found that there are not many options for 400,000 to 500,000 RMB, so I decided to place an order. Since I don’t like to charge frequently, the 75-degree battery is too small, so I chose the first edition. The long-endurance wheel hub is too ugly, and the multi-spoke wheel hub is the best-looking, but its tire performance is the worst. So, I chose the Feather Dynamic wheel hub, which is a compromise. The brake calipers are painted, which feels too cheap. What’s the difference between Kill Matt’s brake caliper painting and the brake caliper cover? I expect to pick up the car in May.

Intending Car Owner: Love Car Little Bookworm Zzz

Location: Ningbo

Like everyone else, I also like NIO’s brand and product design. I work in advertising planning and also like technological products. So, I have been following NIO’s ET7 since its release. Last Wednesday, I test drove it for more than ten minutes, and I would like to briefly share my own feelings with you.

I am a BMW 4 Series and a Porsche Taycan owner, and I went to test drive the NIO because I wanted to experience a domestic car. At least in terms of design, I think it is noteworthy!

Let’s compare it to the Porsche Taycan, the regular version. The power of Taycan is indeed much stronger, there’s no denying that! Here are some comparisons between these two cars:

1. Taycan has a gearbox and a shifting sensation. NIO doesn’t have it.

2. Taycan’s simulated sound wave is noticeable, but NIO’s is hardly noticeable.3. The driving feeling of Taycan is slightly better than NIO, but not by much, maybe because I have been driving it for a long time.

3. The rear row of the Taycan is very, very small. I am 183 cm and can hardly sit in the rear row.

4. Taycan has a front trunk, while NIO does not. The test car cannot be opened yet.

5. NIO’s power is better than the regular version of Taycan.

6. I believe NIO’s car system is much better than Taycan’s. I have been to the Taycan 4S store many times.

7. NIO has autonomous driving, but my Taycan does not. I have never experienced autonomous driving. The NIO ET7 test car has not been activated yet.

Finally, I might sell my BMW 4 Series and switch to NIO. As for whether I will switch to the ET7, I actually want to switch to the updated ES8. After all, I already have a sedan, but I haven’t made a decision yet, because who knows when the updated ES8 will be released. Let’s wait for the first batch of owners of the ET7 and see how the autonomous driving performs. If it is really good, I will definitely switch to an ET7, after all, the space can also be compared to an SUV.

Intended car buyer: luoshating

Location: Shaoxing

Owns Jaguar XF, Lexus ES, Volkswagen Lavida.

I am located in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. I locked the order on the app on the 22nd. It is a first edition with black paint and golden sand interior.

By the way, I bought the car for my wife and I don’t know when it will be delivered. When the time comes, I plan to sell the Lexus. The reasons for considering buying an electric car are: first, curiosity, I want to experience the technology of electric cars now; second, I can get a green license plate in Zhejiang, even though I don’t plan to buy a house in Hangzhou, which is very convenient for future travel; third, almost all my friends around me drive BBA, and I don’t want to follow them.

During the test drive, I paid special attention to the chassis and noise isolation. Since I had never driven a car with an air suspension before, there is indeed a difference in softness, hardness, and the weight of the steering wheel when different driving modes are selected. I feel that this can be set by oneself and there is no need to say it is good or bad. As for the solid feeling of the chassis, I must say that it is indeed good. Going over manhole covers or small pits makes only a small muffled sound and does not clang (compared to the Jaguar XF I currently drive, which I bought in 2013).

The noise isolation is also very good. I was worried before that there might be poor noise isolation due to the frameless doors, but there is no need to worry. It is much better than the Tesla Model Y I test drove last year, and the double-layer glass is indeed thick. The driving view of the car is not low, fortunately, the three cars currently owned by my family are not small, so it is easy to adapt to its size.

# ET7 First Impression

Comparing to the traditional “BBA” brands, ET7 shows better results in terms of most essential data as a Chinese automotive brand. Winning over the opponents at the price point of over 50 by itself is significant.

To be honest, I couldn’t feel the luxury as I imagined in ET7. I felt more comfortable and cozy inside the car, which was probably due to the minimalist design that NIO is well-known for. NIO succeeded in redefining the concept of “luxury” in a different way, which can be a bit niche for people.

I originally intended to wait for the first wave of deliveries to see the real feedback from the owners. However, due to the uncertain production capacity, I could not wait for that.

Intended Owner: Mr. Yusen (From Shenzhen)

Mr. Yusen already owns an ES6, an ES8 Signature version, and an Audi A6.

Advantages:

• The driving performance of ET7 is indeed very good.
• The driving experience is more comfortable compared to driving the ES8 fully equipped with options.

Disadvantages:

1. The car window switch operates in a reverse manner. It should be the opposite way. NIO should change the program to make it a smoother experience.

2. The front seats are a bit thin compared to the ES8. It may be due to the difference between SUV and sedan. The ES8 has more weighty seats.

3. The central control display screen should be adjusted at an angle to offset it towards the driver’s seat. Siting in the driver’s seat and seeing the screen is a bit uncomfortable. NIO should introduce accessories to change the angle of the central display screen.

4. The panoramic sunroof should not have removed the sunshade. NIO could learn from the Landtourer Electric, and add an electric fog-resistant glass.

The current transparency of the sunroof is too high, which makes sitting in the second row very uncomfortable during the summer. Even the mild light of yesterday was too glaring. Some suggest attaching a dark film to the sunroof, but what is the point of having a sunroof with a dark film?

5. The biggest problem is that the second row is really not comfortable enough. The angle of the backrest is too straight to be satisfied. The backrest angle needs to be optimized. I feel that NIO was too hasty to launch the car, and some details were not fine-tuned.

Intended Owner: Audi A6 owner

Why do I have a different feeling about the back seat than you?I have test driven the NIO ET7 twice. The first time, a sales representative drove me in the backseat for a long time, and I found the seat comfort, chassis vibration dampening, and noise insulation to be better than my current 2012 Audi A6L. The second time, I drove the car myself, and my wife sat in the backseat. When we returned, we both agreed that the ET7 was better than my Audi A6 in every aspect. I have already placed an order and am eagerly waiting for delivery.

Conclusion

After interviewing NIO ET7 potential buyers and consumers who closely follow this vehicle, what made them choose the NIO ET7 and what are their main considerations?

I think the following key points need to be considered:

Brand

As one of the leading new energy vehicle manufacturers, NIO targets the price range of 300,000-500,000 RMB. So, what common lifestyles and driving psychologies do the consumers who have such budgets have?

First of all, most of them are middle-class families living in first-tier and new first-tier cities. They have enjoyed the bonus of the Chinese social development over the past decade. Luxury brands such as BBA, Jaguar Land Rover, and Lexus, which they have owned, have already been retired or collecting dust in their garages. For their next car, do they still want to choose the same brand and the latest model?

Looking around, the NIO ET7, which has seized the “blue ocean” market, is also a good option. After all, among the new energy vehicles priced between 400,000-500,000 RMB, only the NIO ET7 is available. NIO also adheres to the belief of creating their own flagship luxury sedan with this car.

I believe that NIO is not trying to surpass BBA in brand heritage and historical accumulation by force, but to establish itself as a benchmark for luxury and environmentally friendly driving when consumers choose electric vehicles.

Qin Lihong, co-founder and president of NIO, once said, “As NIO enters the high-end market and replaces mainstream luxury fuel vehicles, we should be able to transform the ‘BBA’ pattern into the ‘NBA’ pattern in the future.”

When consumers choose NIO as their car purchase and experience it at the dealership, they will be infected by the brand influence. Quality and thoughtful service, friendly sales consultants, spacious and bright NIO Houses, high-end shopping mall locations, and rich post-sales service and support all reinforce consumers’ affirmation and recognition of NIO.

Looking at It from Another Angle

Owners of the ET7 are not only people who themselves own a BBA (BMW, Benz, Audi) mid to large-sized sedan, but also their friends. This shows they are experiencing brand fatigue with BBA cars, and they are interested in NIO because of this.

Many car owners have expressed their opinions: they’ve already changed their BMW 5 series twice, or their Audi A6 has been with them for ten years. So why not try the NIO ET7?

Product Competitiveness

The ET7 is currently the flagship model of NIO, so its product competitiveness is beyond doubt. Many people who buy this car are experienced users of Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series, and Audi A6L. They know how to choose a new car and won’t be as naive as first-time car buyers. They have a full understanding of their own and family’s car needs.

Choosing this car means that they are satisfied with the atmosphere of the ET7’s cabin, its intelligent driving software and hardware, the smooth driving that all EVs have, and NIO’s charging, switching, and upgrading advantages. It covers all the energy-supply systems and car needs, and cultivates customer loyalty to the brand.

It’s interesting that a majority of the clients I interviewed who bought the ET7 concentrate in the first and second-tier cities where NIO has laid out charging stations, such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Sanya, and Hefei.

For cities without charging stations, NIO car owners can still enjoy the same charging or energy-supply services as other new energy cars, but NIO Power is unique and incomparable.

This is also why wealthy buyers are eager to pay for the peace of mind and convenience of using new energy cars. For them, even if they have to pay a little more, a hassle-free and thoughtful and cost-effective service experience is worth it.

## Nio Owners

Many Nio car owners are aware of the impressive hardware and software capabilities of Nio vehicles.

In an interview with one of the car owners, who himself is a hardware supplier for upstream Nio, he noted that choosing Nio is based on the fact that Nio’s whole vehicle architecture is industry-leading, from the bottom-level of auto parts to the overall structure. In recent years, Chinese consumers have recognized that the equipment quality and details of many imported luxury car models are not impressive, while domestic products are much better.

Owner demographic

Last Saturday, I also visited Nio’s product experience store located in Xiangyun Town, Shunyi District, Beijing. There, I saw a trendy couple, who appeared to be around 30 years old, accompanied by a salesperson to check out the cars.

My test drive of the ET7 was at the store located in Huaxi live, Haidian District, which was transformed from the original Maserati 4S store, and has a high-end positioning, needless to say.

Combined with the actual situations of multiple Nio car owners that I interviewed, and the characteristics of Nio Fellow’s car owner group, I also summarized the user profile as follows:

First, the average age of Nio users is slightly younger than the ideal user but older than XPeng users. The age of users of Nio’s ES6 and EC6 mainly ranges from 25-40 years old, with 30-35-year-old consumers being the most prevalent group.

According to Nio Fellow, “Even though ES6 and EC6 are cheaper than ES8, with the minimum price starting from 350,000 yuan, it is evident that most consumers under 30 years old do not have the financial capability to afford it.”

Second, Nio’s customers are mainly middle and high-level managers of enterprises, as well as many private business owners. Of course, with the high salaries that have become more common in the past few years due to great Internet performances, many fresh graduates working as programmers or product managers in big companies also have annual salaries of 400-500,000 yuan ($62,000-78,000), so Nio is best suited to their standard of the ideal car.

This point is also in line with several Nio car owners that GeekCar has contacted. This group of people has one characteristic, namely they possess a stronger ability to think independently and are less susceptible to external influences.

Thirdly, purchasing and upgrading are the main drivers of sales, with the majority of buyers purchasing for personal use. Amongst consumers who have bought a NIO ES6 or EC6, the proportion of first-time buyers is not high. More buyers are upgrading rather than replacing, but the proportion of these buyers is lower than ideal.

Owners who are upgrading are generally richer, with multiple cars at home, including some who own Porsches. Those who are replacing their cars mainly used to drive Volkswagen Passats, Toyota Camrys, BMW 3 Series, and Audi A4L cars. They are upgrading to the NIO ES6 and EC6, partly because they want a better car, but also due to their “tiredness” of fuel-powered cars, and their eagerness to try out electric cars.

On the other hand, those who are considering purchasing NIO ET7 are generally driving BMW 5 Series, Audi A6L, Volkswagen Touareg, and other high-end cars. When they are considering the ET7, they are also taking into account their family’s needs, such as seating comfort for the rear passengers. They may also consider family-oriented models such as the unannounced L9 or Toyota Senna MPV, and basically would not consider cars priced below CNY 400,000.

At the same time, these potential buyers are more accepting of electric cars, which are associated with “technology, intelligence, and forward-thinking.”

As the movie “Big Shot” says, “We don’t ask for the best, we want the most expensive!” Of course, this is not advisable. However, for these prospective NIO ET7 buyers, “the best” and “the most expensive” are fully reflected in the design of the ET7. The most critical characteristic of these prospective buyers is that they “are not short of money”! Nevertheless, they still need to work hard to earn money!

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.