NIO Launches First Autonomous Driving Model ET7 Sedan; Partners With Qualcomm

China’s NIO (NYSE: NIO) has launched its first autonomous driving model, the smart electric flagship sedan NIO ET7. It features NIO’s latest NAD (NIO Autonomous Driving) technology based on NIO Aquila Super Sensing and NIO Adam Super Computer.

With a 70 kWh battery pack, the ET7 has a range of over 500 km, or over 700 km with a 100 kWh battery. When coupled with the new 150 kWh battery, ET7 boasts a range over 1,000 km.

The new ET7 was revealed at NIO Day in Chengdu, is a smart electric flagship sedan with deliveries estimated to start in Q1 2022.

William Li, founder, chairman and CEO of NIO, says: “NIO community is growing, while the love and trust from our users have always been the driving force behind our continued progress. The ET7 launched at this NIO Day is a brand new start for smart electric vehicles. We will continuously invest in products and technologies, and speed up the development of our service network, thereby bringing a better experience of smart electric vehicles to users.”

NIO also announced a partnership with Qualcomm Technologies to support smart mobility designed to deliver digital cockpit and new driving and riding experiences to users.

NIO ET7 features in-car 5G, C-V2X, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6, and UWB, bringing high-bandwidth and low-latency connectivity experiences to users.

Nakul Duggal, senior vice president and general manager, automotive, Qualcomm Technologies, states: “NIO and Qualcomm Technologies share the same aspiration for technological innovation and superb user experiences. We’re excited to work closely with NIO to support smart mobility designed to deliver exceptional digital cockpit and new driving and riding experiences to users with our 3^rd Generation Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit and 5G Platforms. Together, we look forward to driving connected vehicles into the 5G era, enhancing driving safety and paving the way for the arrival of next-generation intelligent vehicles.”

Mark Zhou, executive vice president and chairman of product committee, NIO, adds: “This collaboration between NIO and Qualcomm Technologies in smart cockpit and 5G will bring immersive interactive experiences beyond expectations to users, and drive automotive innovation in the future.”

Founded in November 2014, NIO has established R&D centres and manufacturing facilities in Shanghai, Hefei, Beijing, San Jose, Munich and Oxford, and has initially set up the user service network with nationwide coverage in China.