Wagons don't rock the sales charts in major car markets like China and the United States, but they remain very popular in Europe despite slowly losing market share to SUVs.
When it comes to electric station wagons, though, they are very hard to find, regardless of the market. With the exception of the MG MG5 EV and the Porsche Taycan Sport/Cross Turismo, we're struggling to name another all-electric wagon on sale today.
We'll be able to add a third model to the list, however, as Chinese EV startup Nio soon will be launching a wagon variant of its Tesla Model 3-rivaling ET5 electric sedan.
The first photos of it have been published by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) as as part of the homologation process. According to CarNewsChina, Nio has developed the ET5 wagon specifically for the European market, even though it will be sold in China as well. Here's what you need to know about the electric wagon.
From a styling perspective, it looks exactly like the Nio ET5 sedan seen from the front, while the side view reveals a longer and less swoopy roofline and a larger third lateral window.
Seen from the back, the Nio ET5 wagon displays a generous roof spoiler above the more upright rear screen that also features a tiny wiper. Everything else looks very familiar, including the taillights and light bar that unites them, and the sporty bumper with an air diffuser at the bottom.
Gallery: Nio ET5 Wagon leaked photos
Compared to the sedan, the Nio ET5 wagon is the same size, measuring 188.6 inches in length, 77.1 inches in width, and 59 inches in height, with a wheelbase of 113.7 inches.
Like the sedan, the Nio ET5 wagon will offer three battery options. The standard range model features a 75-kilowatt-hour pack with hybrid ternary-LFP (NMC-LFP) chemistry, the long range variant packs a 100-kWh ternary battery, while the ultra long range variant carries a semi-solid state 150-kWh pack.
As with all Nio vehicles, the ET5 wagon will support battery swap technology. The vehicle will also share the motors with the sedan, with all variants featuring a dual-motor setup combining a 150-kilowatt (201-horsepower) motor on the front axle and 210-kW (281-hp) motor on the rear axle. The combined maximum power is 360 kW (482 hp).
Regarding the name, Nio hasn't made it public yet, but an employee told CarNewsChina that it will be called ET5 Touring. Production will take place at the JAC-Nio factory in Hefei, which is interesting because the ET5 sedan is made at NeoPark, a different plant wholly owned by Nio.
