Chinese premium electric vehicle manufacturer Nio is preparing an expansion into a new market segment, CnEVPost reports quoting its own sources. The company will allegedly launch production of its first wallet-friendly EV in July and introduce a new sub-brand called Alps in October.
A few years ago, Nio representatives said the company was looking into widening its market presence with lower-priced sub-brands that could be named Firefly or Alps. The former badge would deal with EVs priced below 200,000 Yuan ($28,000) and the latter with those priced between 200,000 and 300,000 Yuan ($28–42 thousand). According to the local media, the first Alps cars will be a crossover SUV and a sedan.
One of them is allegedly under development right now. It is known internally as the DOM and rides on the third-generation NT platform, just like the luxurious Nio ET9 saloon (shown in the gallery and the video here). It is going to be loaded with modern tech normally found in more upmarket models, like millimeter-range 4D radars.
Some simplifications are still par for the course. For one, the Alps DOM may arrive to the market with a basic radar instead of a costly LiDAR. For another, it may use a single Nvidia Drive Orin chip instead of the quad-core arrangement found in the Nio Adam supercomputer.
It will also likely take advantage of the company’s proprietary electric motors and batteries. Using the latest-generation (thinner) batteries will help maximize legroom in the cabin while keeping the capacity in the range of 60–90 kWh.
CnEVPost believes the first deliveries won’t be made until the second half of the year. All in all, Nio is targeting several dozen thousand sales for 2024.