Nio, the China-based smart electric car maker, has started selling its ES8 SUV in Norway and is gearing up to launch another model in Germany. The Chinese company has confirmed that its new ET7 will be available in the German market in late 2022.

The Nio ET7 car has entered trial production at the company’s Hefei plant as the firm is set to start deliveries in China in early 2022. William Li, Chairman of Nio, said that the “very high” interest from German customers prompted the firm to commit to a European roll-out.

Along with announcing the launch of ET7 in Europe, Nio is also considering building its electric vehicles in Europe. Li said, “I believe if we have a lot of sales in the European market, we can also explore the other possibilities to work with other supply chain partners. I understand that in Europe, there is manufacturing capacity. We can also explore the possibility to work together with other OEMs and discuss joint manufacturing.”

While the company has not yet revealed any potential production partners but Lotus Technology could be on the list. After investment from Nio, Lotus Technology said that the partnership could pave the way for both companies to “explore opportunities for mutually beneficial industrial co-operation”.

The Nio ET7, unveiled in January this year, is claimed to offer a maximum range of 620 miles (on the Chinese NEDC cycle) from its largest, 150kWh battery and a twin-motor powertrain pumping out 644bhp and 627lb-ft for a 0-62mph time of 3.9sec.

It also features a raft of advanced driver assistance features that, the company says, enables autonomous driving. ET7 is available for pre-order in China and will be arriving in the German market in the last quarter of 2022. The 70 kWh version of ET7 is expected to have a price tag between €59,000-69,000.

The company had previously suggested that it could soon launch its cars in the United Kingdom but there’s no timeline for it yet.

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Electric cars giant, Tesla Inc will begin operations in India early next year, according to the country’s transport minister, Nitin Gadkari, who made the statement in an interview he granted a national newspaper, the Indian Express on Monday.

The electric-car maker will commence its India rollout by first having a dealership in the country and then it may consider a more active presence via vehicle assembly and manufacturing, based on the initial feedback from the first stage, the minister told the newspaper.

Tesla is yet to make any definitive statement on the issue and it is unclear whether the Minister was speaking on the basis of advanced talks with the electric car maker. Also, the Minister’s office is yet to put out any statement concerning the matter.

India has been very keen to drastically scale down its reliance on oil to meet its growing energy and transportation needs, as well as reduce its carbon footprint by cutting down on pollution, but the plan to promote electric cars as an alternative, have been slowed down by a lack of investments in manufacturing and infrastructure such as charging stations.

The first electric car model to be launched will be Model 3, the cheapest among Tesla vehicles, with prices hovering around $74,739 (5.5 million Indian rupees). This information was culled from a report in the Economic Times on Saturday.

In a positive spin to the impending India rollout from 2021, Tesla’s Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk on Sunday confirmed the news via his verified Twitter handle but said it would not happen in January.

In October 2020, the government of the Indian state of Maharashtra had invited the company to the state, several weeks after CEO Elon Musk hinted at making an entry into the sub-continent in 2021.

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