In a few months, Nio will launch the first model from a more affordable brand, codenamed Alps. For the first time, a prototype of this new electric sedan has been glimpsed in China.
To extend its range and its volumes, without calling into question the premium image associated with the Nio name, the Chinese manufacturer plans to deploy two new, more affordable brands: Alps and Firefly. These are still code names.
Both should arrive by 2024 in China… and in Europe. It will be mainly with these two new brands that Nio intends to deploy in Europe, directly targeting core market brands such as Volkswagen, Renault or Peugeot. Electric of course.
The Alps models will be based on a completely new platform and will have new batteries announced with a voltage of 800V. A guarantee of faster recharging, this higher voltage will not prevent the Alps from retaining the key service of the Nios: the exchange of batteries. They will be compatible with the most recent stations. However, this will probably not be the case with the Firefly.
A sedan to start?
For the first time, a prototype of an Alps brand vehicle was glimpsed in China. Inevitably, photos were quickly published on the Chinese social network Weibo. The vehicle is still heavily camouflaged. It is therefore impossible to get an idea of the design of the vehicle.
On the other hand, we now know that the first Alps model should be a sedan of a size similar to that of a Tesla Model 3. The profile remains typical of the electric sedans of the moment: plunging muzzle, fastback-type leaky roof, classic trunk (no tailgate)…
The vehicle could be unveiled during Nio Day 2023 to be held at the end of the year in Xi’an.
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