As a domestic electric vehicle, the NIO ES8 garnered significant attention last year. Firstly, this car is positioned as a high-end domestic electric vehicle, with a landing price of around 580.000 yuan. It's manufactured by JAC Motors, whose manufacturing processes have notably improved. In our view, anyone spending over 500.000 yuan on a car must be using it for business purposes, so who would buy a domestic car? Who are the people buying the NIO ES8? Today, we interview an ES8 owner to see his perspective on the car, showing considerable courage in doing so.
This NIO ES8 owner is from Guangdong and is a successful individual. He has a Mercedes-Benz S400 and a BMW 3 Series at home. Last year, he bought the NIO ES8. However, he states that these cars only meet the current driving needs, and the problem of insufficient vehicles is especially evident during commuting. “I gave the Mercedes S400 to my wife, the BMW 3 Series to my son, and bought this NIO ES8 electric car for myself. In the south, the battery performance of cars is slightly better than in the north due to the higher temperatures, although this is relative. After driving for a while, I find the battery life to be pretty good.”
This is a 2018 NIO ES8 Founder's Edition, which cost 580.000 yuan when purchased. When asked about the typical consumers of this car, the owner replied, "I think there are mainly two types of people who buy this car. The first type is wealthy young people who like performance cars and use it for city commuting, saving fuel and effort. The second type is business people who also like performance cars; this car is more practical for city driving and has a spacious interior. The NIO ES8 is definitely a good car, but its downside is the high price. Additionally, it is not very suitable for northern cities because the battery life decreases significantly in extremely cold conditions."
The owner said, "I think most people who buy this car are younger business people. The performance of this car is really good. Although the car is big, it has the performance of a sports car. Even though the engine noise is small, the pushback feeling during acceleration is obvious. I am one of those people. Now, my old Mercedes-Benz S400 is used by my wife for commuting, and I drive the NIO ES8. The BMW 3 Series, which I bought the year before last for its handling, is now used by my son after he got his driver’s license. I had no choice but to buy the NIO ES8."
The multifunctional steering wheel of the NIO ES8 indicates that this car is positioned as a mid-to-large SUV. The interior follows the style of a domestic luxury car, and its advantage lies in its rich configuration. Apart from lacking electric suction doors, it has almost all other configurations. The interior looks very high-tech, showing that the NIO ES8 is following a path similar to Audi. Battery life is a concern, with the car equipped with a ternary lithium battery of 70 kWh, and an official range of 355 km. However, in northern regions, this range is significantly reduced. We hope NIO will improve the battery in the future.
