Nio has released fresh images of the ES9 ahead of its April 9 debut, offering the clearest look yet at what is expected to become the Chinese brand’s new flagship SUV.
Autohome reported that the ES9 will debut with several high-end chassis technologies, including steer-by-wire, rear-wheel steering and full active suspension.
The report also linked the SUV closely to the ET9 sedan, which has already been positioned by Nio as its technology flagship.
In posts on its Weibo account, Nio has been building up the ES9 as a major model for the brand, describing it as a premium smart electric SUV and linking it to the company’s broader technology development over the past 11 years.
Nio said a recent ES9 winter-test highlighted the vehicle’s full active suspension and said the system was able to respond within 1 millisecond. It also put the spotlight on chassis development, suggesting that ride and handling technology will be central to the SUV’s selling points.
The ET9 provides the clearest reference point. Nio said that model uses steer-by-wire, rear-wheel steering and a fully active suspension setup, all of which appear to be feeding into the ES9 development. Nio and supplier ZF said last year that the ET9’s steer-by-wire arrangement removes the conventional mechanical link in the steering system and replaces it with a digital architecture instead.
The ES9 also looks set to be a sizeable vehicle. Earlier Chinese regulatory filing coverage indicated a body length of 5,365mm, which would make it larger than the ES8 and placed it firmly at the top of Nio’s SUV range.
If so, the ES9 will do more than add another large electric SUV to the market. It will show how far Nio intends to carry its flagship hardware beyond the sedan segment and into a more family-oriented format.
