The first electric car produced by Nio’s recently created sub-brand Alps will be a crossover SUV designed to compete with the Tesla Model Y on the market of China. It is expected to cost less while offering a superior experience, Nio CEO William Li said at a dedicated event in Ningbo this week.
He asked those who were considering the Model Y as their next purchase to “wait a little” and opt for a cheaper, more fully featured vehicle, CnEVPost reports.
This new EV is so far known unofficially as the Alps DOM (name subject to change). Li believes that it is more attractive than the Model Y thanks to a larger infotainment display, faster charging speeds and the opportunity for fast battery swapping. The latter is a common feature in Nio EVs. At this moment, we only have a single photo of the CUV where it is completely draped over.
What also remains unknown is the price. With the EV discount wars still ongoing in China, it is liable to remain secret until launch. The Model Y is obtainable in RWD and AWD versions in China and costs 258,900–363,900 Yuan there (U.S. $36,000–51,400).
Earlier reports said the Alps DOM would be based on the same NT 3.0 platform as its parent company’s flagship, the Nio ET9 (shown in the rest of the gallery and the video here). Nio will likely use its proprietary motors and batteries for it, as well as some of the technologies found in its premium vehicles, like millimeter-range 4D radars. The infotainment system will probably on a single-core Nvidia Drive Orin chipset instead of the quad-four setup used in the Nio Adam supercomputer. As for the batteries, they will likely come in two sizes – 60 and 90 kilowatt-hours.
According to William Li, the company produced the first prototype of the Alps DOM last fall and has since improved it in a number of ways. Its public debut is currently being planned for October.
He added that, once the DOM reaches the market, it will be followed by a larger crossover SUV that would still be cheaper than the competition. We are told that the company has already finalized its design, but there are no images or other relevant info at the moment.