One possibility is that NIO may price the new ES6 at under RMB 368,000 and attribute the decision to the calls of its community.

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NIO (NYSE: NIO) is asking its community in China for advice on the pricing of the new ES6, as the SUV gets closer to its official launch.

Many NIO App users have received a push message from NIO containing a questionnaire asking them to vote on what they think is a fair price for the new ES6, according to information shared by several auto bloggers on Weibo today.

NIO offered six options in the questionnaire: below RMB 368,000 ($53,020), RMB 368,000, RMB 378,000, RMB 388,000, RMB 398,000, and above RMB 398,000.

The all-new ES6 will be launched soon, and the model has received a lot of attention since its unveiling at the Shanghai auto show, NIO wrote in the questionnaire.

"Before we officially release the price, we would like to hear from our user friends about the price of the new ES6," NIO said.

The questionnaire is due by 18:00 Beijing time on May 13.

William Li, founder, chairman and CEO of NIO, launched the 2023 ET7 sedan and gave the debut of a revamped version of the ES6 SUV based on the NT 2.0 platform at a brief launch event on the first day of the Shanghai auto show on April 18.

Li did not announce the new ES6's exact specifications or pricing at the time, saying only that the model's official launch would be in late May.

For reference, the older ES6 based on the NT 1.0 platform was previously offered in three versions -- Sport, Performance and Signature -- with starting prices of RMB 386,000, 426,000 and 496,000 respectively.

For NIO, the new ES6 will be a model of strategic importance, as it will be the least expensive of NIO's SUVs. The company's latest move underscores the high hopes it has for the model's sales prospects.

From January to August 2022, 32,877 units of the ES6 were delivered, contributing 46 percent of NIO's total deliveries of 71,556 units for the period, according to figures monitored by CnEVPost from the company and the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

It's worth noting that soliciting input for the pricing of new models is a rarity in the Chinese auto industry. For rational consumers, no one wants to see a high price for a product they want to buy.

NIO may have its own considerations with this move, and CnEVPost's speculation is that the company may price the new ES6 below RMB 368,000 and attribute the decision to the calls from its community.

The new ES6 is now generally seen as coming with strong features and competitive pricing, which have already sparked discontent among some owners who previously bought the ES7 SUV.

Last month, many ES7 owners formed WeChat groups to collectively express their discontent that the upcoming new ES6 means NIO has betrayed them.

NIO has yet to announce a launch date for the new ES6, although rumors last week suggested that the model would be officially launched on May 24.

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NIO rumored to officially launch new ES6 on May 24

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Disgruntled ES7 owners have asked NIO to offer additional benefits as compensation, but have been denied.  |  NIO US | NIO HK | NIO SG

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The new ES6 will be a strategically important model for NIO (NYSE: NIO), and it has sparked complaints from ES7 owners ahead of its official launch.

Many ES7 owners recently formed WeChat groups in order to collectively protest to NIO that the automaker has betrayed them because the new ES6 will not only have lower prices, but also have competitive edges with their vehicles.

As background, the NIO ES7 was launched on June 15, 2022, and is the company's second model based on the NT 2.0 platform, and the first SUV on the second-generation platform.

The NIO ES7 is currently offered in two versions, priced at RMB 468,000 ($67,710) and 548,000 including the battery. If consumers choose to purchase using the battery rental service BaaS, the starting price is RMB 398,000.

NIO began deliveries of the ES7 on August 28, 2022, with a cumulative total of 15,123 units delivered by the end of January this year, according to data monitored by CnEVPost. Delivery figures for the model in February and March are not available.

The NIO ES7 is similar to the new NIO ES8 in appearance and key specifications, but is smaller in size and less expensive. Previously, the model that sits behind the flagship ES8 in NIO's product array was the ES6.

It is worth noting that the ES7 is not the NT 2.0 version of the old ES6. The old ES6, based on the NT 1.0 platform, was still on sale after the ES7 was released.

On April 18, NIO officially launched the 2023 ET7 sedan on the first day of the Shanghai auto show and unveiled the ES6.

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Pre-orders for the new ES6 are already being taken, but the official launch will be in late May. William Li, founder, chairman and CEO of NIO, said the model will move quickly from official launch to delivery.

Although NIO has not yet announced the prices of the new ES6, the model is widely seen as starting at less than RMB 400,000, considering that the old ES6 previously had a starting price of RMB 386,000 including the battery.

The unveiling of the new ES6 has unexpectedly sparked discontent among many ES7 owners, who believe the upcoming SUV has a strong appeal but significantly lower prices, despite the ES7's stronger features and space.

These owners also believe that the ES7 uses many NT 1.0 platform components, while the new ES6, by contrast, uses all NT 2.0 platform components.

To calm the discontent of these ES7 owners, NIO held a communication meeting with them on April 27, with Li's personal participation.

However, a recording circulating on the Internet shows that the communication was inconclusive, and Li denied the owners' request for additional benefits, despite a lot of pressure from them.

Notably, on Weibo, a large number of users expressed support for Li, arguing that the owners' demands were unreasonable and that NIO should stick to its current stance.

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NIO launches new ET7, unveils new ES6 at Shanghai auto show

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