NIO’s EC6 coupe SUV said to hit the market at Chengdu Motor Show

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Chinese EV startup NIO will announce the price and technical configurators of its third production model, the NIO EC6, at the forthcoming Chengdu Motor Show 2020, and afterwards start delivering the vehicle in September, according to a local media outlet.

The model's first pre-production vehicle rolled off the production line in late June at the Hefei-based JAC-NIO Advanced Manufacturing Center, where also the ES8 and the ES6 are produced.

(NIO EC6)

The EC6, deemed as the coupe version of the ES6, will come with a panoramic-view sunroof to afford the cockpit with more openness. It is expected to take on such vehicles as the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe and Tesla's Model Y.

Retaining the iconic “X-Bar” design language, the EC6 displays a striking resemblance to the ES6 in the frontal styling, but has a more sharply raked coupe roofline at the rear.

(NIO EC6)

The “coupe” nature of the side profile is accentuated by the sleek rooflines stretching downward from the B pillar to the ducktail-shaped spoiler. Thanks to the flowing silhouette, the EC6 features a drag coefficient of 0.27Cd.

Remaining faithful to the ES6's interior, the EC6 still keeps such facilities as the flat bottomed steering wheel, the liquid crystal dashboard and the large-sized screen at the center console. Some physical buttons are offered to control the console-mounted display and gears.

The EC6 line-up will feature a range-topping Performance version that uses two electric motors: a 160kW permanent magnet motor at the front axle and a 240kW induction unit at the rear. These will combine to offer a 0-100km/h time of 4.7 seconds, while its 100kWh battery pack will offer a NEDC-rated range of up to 615km. Besides, the Sports version will be driven by two 160kW permanent magnet motors.

NIO China signed a strategic cooperation agreement with six Chinese banks on July 10, pursuant to which the banks will grant NIO China a credit line worth 10.4 billion yuan ($1,486,394,000).

As of the signing time, NIO has raised over 10 billion yuan ($1,427,470,000) of funds so far this year by selling convertible notes, obtaining strategic investments for NIO China and offering American depositary shares. The newly-approved credit line further indicates that NIO has been solved its potential cash flow issue and regained the market's confidence (photo source: NIO).