Nio ES6 Electric SUV Unveiled, Gets Impressive Performance Specs

This weekend Chinese supercar manufacturer Nio -- the company that developed one of the world's fastest electric vehicles -- unveiled a cheaper alternative to its first electric SUV, with impressive performance specs.

Over the weekend at the annual Nio Day 2018 in Shanghai, Nio upgraded its electric vehicle lineup by introducing a variant of the company's first electric SUV, the ES8; announcing a new battery upgrade plan; and holding the world premiere of an entirely new, cheaper SUV model, the ES6 -- all while being serenaded by a live performance from Bruno Mars.

The newest SUV to hit the Nio portfolio has been largely inspired by the company's record-breaking electric vehicle technology seen in the EP9, a supercar that holds electric vehicle lap records at several tracks across the world. This new intelligent SUV can go from 0 to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds and has a range extending past 510 km.

The company noted that the ES6 will be featuring some highly intelligent interior tech including an autonomous driving assistant system and Nomi, an in-car AI system that can turn your car into "a smart, fun, expressive and intuitive friend."

In Q2 of 2019, an 84-kWh battery system will be available for the first, larger SUV, the ES8, and the six-seater variant of the model will be available for pre-ordering on December 24.

The Nio ES6 has a starting price of 358,000 yuan (about $52,000), the Performance trim brings the price tag up to 398,000 yuan (about $58,000), and the ES8 variant starts at 456,000 yuan (about $66,000) with delivery beginning in late March. With the ES8 only being available in China, it's difficult to predict whether or not the ES6 will make it outside the Chinese border; however, an announcement for the new model was made on the company's US Twitter account so there's a small glimmer of hope for a North American release.