Three months after opening up sales of its ES8 SUV in Europe, NIO has begun customer deliveries. The refreshed all-electric SUV, renamed the EL8 for the European market, is the sixth NIO model to enter Europe, and the Chinese automaker is showing no signs of slowing down, even as the EU Commission imposed tariffs on imports.
Earlier this summer, NIO rolled its 500,000th passenger EV off its Hefei assembly line. That milestone build was the Chinese automaker’s ES8 SUV, which started it all. That model has become a cornerstone of NIO’s expansion into Europe, which began in Norway in 2021.
Previously, NIO sold five all-electric models in the EU, including ET7, ES7, ET5, ET5T, and ES6. However, due to nameplate disputes with Audi, the Chinese automaker had to change the model badges of its SUVs to “L” instead of “S.”
In December 2022, NIO announced a refresh for the ES8 (EL8), initially built on the automaker’s NT 1.0 platform. The refresh included the newer NT 2.0 platform and LiDAR, plus later updates to the 2024 models, such as a chip upgrade to the cockpit.
In June, NIO announced that its flagship ES8 SUV had officially launched in Europe as the EL8, despite recently announced tariffs on Chinese imports. Today, the Chinese automaker is celebrating initial deliveries of the SUV to customers in Europe.
NIO’s EL8 SUV makes its way to customers in Europe
NIO shared images of its first EL8 SUV deliveries to customers around Europe via its Weibo page earlier today, imploring local customers to seek out more information about the Chinese brand to promote EV adoption and sustainable travel. Per the post:
On September 16, NIO EL8 (ES8 in the Chinese market) started delivering the first batch of users in Europe. We welcome more friends to join the NIO family and start a new journey of “calmness and moderation” together to create a sustainable and better future. Follow NIO and repost the comment about which landmark in Europe you most want to see ES8 go to. We will randomly select 3 friends to give away NIO Life coffee mugs.
The EL8 SUV on the NT 2.0 Platform is now the sixth NIO model to officially enter the Europe and is currently available in Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The persistence to expand comes at a tumultuous time overseas, as the EU has imposed tariffs on Chinese-built EVs by up to 48%.
NIO, which has cooperated with the EU Commission’s investigation, is currently facing a 20.8% tariff on all its models imported into the region. Despite the cooperation, NIO has publicly opposed the tariffs, and its founder and CEO, William Li, has stated that the automaker’s stance remains unchanged and will continue to sell its imported BEVs.
Part of that expansion also includes battery swap stations, which had tallied 43 locations as of June 2024, alongside 45 regional superchargers and over 600,000 third-party chargers available to its customers. Today, NIO says it has 56 battery swap stations in operation throughout Europe, including 19 in Norway, 18 in Germany, and 10 in the Netherlands.
The NIO EL8 SUV is on sale in Europe now.
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