Our reporter Liu Zhao
On December 21st, NIO Day 2024 with the theme of "Together&Further" was held at Haixinsha Park in Guangzhou. Unlike previous years, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Shanghai NIO Automobile Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "NIO"), and the event attracted over 22000 users to the venue.
NIO Day 2024 (Photo by Liu Zhao)
During the event, Li Bin, founder and chairman of NIO, unveiled the intelligent electric executive flagship model ET9, which is hailed as the culmination of NIO's ten-year technological innovation, as well as the third-party brand Firefly. At the NIO media briefing on December 22nd, Li Bin revealed that within hours of its official release, the first limited edition 999 units of ET9 were sold out.
Bet on ET9 to capture the administrative flagship market. "ET9 is the culmination of NIO's decade long technological innovation. Innovate in nine major fields to bring unprecedented administrative flagship experiences NIO founder and CEO Li Bin confidently said, "The ET9 is NIO's executive flagship designed for global innovation leaders, and the best car of this era
Currently, the automotive industry is undergoing a profound transformation, and Chinese car companies have successfully seized the leading position in the industry through their advanced planning and strategic layout in the field of new energy. The luxury car market has become a key battlefield for many electric vehicle manufacturers to compete in. Launching a million dollar luxury car product is not only a comprehensive display of brand strength and technological level by car companies, but also an important way to enhance brand premium ability and promote brand upward development. Such products not only consolidate the company's position in the high-end market, but also inject strong momentum into the long-term development of the brand. As a product of NIO's decade long technological accumulation, the ET9 not only represents the latest breakthrough in the global intelligent electric vehicle field, but also serves as a technological benchmark for executive flagship models. According to Li Bin, through comprehensive innovation of underlying technology, ET9 has brought unprecedented flagship enjoyment to users in nine aspects including design, space, comfort, sound system, intelligent system, intelligent driving, safety, electrification technology, and driving experience. It is worth noting that on NIO Day, Li Bin fully demonstrated the advantages of ET9 through testing short videos. Among them, in the video of tire burst testing at a speed of over 160km/h, Li Bin personally participated in the actual test to prove that ET9 is safe enough. He jokingly said, 'It's too expensive for CEOs to make cars now.' It is reported that ET9 will start delivery in March 2025.
NIO Media Communication Meeting (Photo by Liu Zhao)
Following the official launch of the Ledao brand on May 15th this year, NIO's third brand, Firefly, made its debut on NIO Day, capturing young consumers with its natural glow. Firefly focuses on the high-end smart electric car market, and its products are more MINI than Smart and more Smart than MINI, "said Li Bin. Firefly's positioning in NIO is equivalent to the MINI brand of BMW Group. Although NIO and Firefly are both high-end brands, NIO is more business oriented, while Firefly leans towards lifestyle. Kris Tomasson, Senior Vice President of Design at NIO, explained Firefly's unique craftsmanship in design. Unlike NIO and Ledao brands, Li Bin repeatedly emphasized that Firefly has only one model, which will be officially launched in April 2025.
It is reported that the Firefly brand will have an independent battery swapping system. Due to the smaller battery size of the Firefly brand, the deployment cost of its battery swapping stations will be lower, making it easier to quickly deploy in the global market. Firefly models will also be exhibited and sold in NIO stores.
NIO is a rational operator, and we will not have unrealistic expectations. While ensuring the safety of our vehicles, the product strength of Firefly will be very long-lasting. "Regarding the heated discussion about Firefly in the market, Li Bin admitted at a media communication meeting that the small car market to which Firefly belongs is a global market of up to 10 million vehicles, of which Europe is a market of 4 million vehicles. The size of the Chinese market is not particularly large. Firefly is a high-end small car brand designed for global customers, especially taking into account the driving habits, scenarios, and directions of global users. Therefore, Firefly's team visited 17 countries extensively to collect questions and listen to customer suggestions. Firefly has received high praise from NIO's European partners.
It is certain that Firefly will enter the global market faster than NIO and Ledao brands! "Said Li Bin.