[Automotive] Nio teases fastback concept called ET7 for Shanghai

Chinese electric vehicle startup Nio teased an image of a new concept it will preview at Auto Shanghai later this month. It's called the ET7, and the darkened image shows a side profile of what appears to be a sedan with a long, fastback roofline and crisp edges along the shoulder line that flow into the rear spoiler.

The name introduces a new letter into Nio's ES-based alphanumeric naming system, suggesting it won't be another SUV like the ES6 or ES8, nor a supercar like the EP9 — all of which will also be on display, along with its Eve concept from 2017. But thus far we're offered no information about the concept beyond the photo itself. Reports suggest the concept will also boast Level 4 self-driving capability.

Nio says it's also bringing its Nio Power solution to Shanghai, a mobile Internet-powered network of mobile charging vans and battery-swap facilities. The latter use a modular design that Nio says take up three parking spaces and enable switching batteries more quickly than a standard refuel at a gas station, with automatic checks of the battery and electric system performed during each swap. Nio says it plans to build 1,100 of them by 2020. Its Power Mobile program, meanwhile, employs a fleet of vans that can come to users to supply 62 miles of driving range in 10 minutes.

Nio recently made headlines when one of its models shut down on a busy street in Beijing, snarling traffic and leaving the driver and a company rep stuck inside while the car completed a software update. But the company is coming off a big year in 2018, with the launch of its 644-horsepower, seven-passenger ES8 crossover, the unveiling of the smaller ES6 crossover and its initial public offering in the U.S. in September.