Onvo L60 launches first in the UK due to EU tariffs

Continental Europe could follow as early as March, according to a Nio manager

Photo by: Photo by Kevin Williams/InsideEVs

By: Stefan Leichsenring

Dec 20, 2024 at 3:08am ET

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The EU's punitive tariffs against electric cars from China have consequences. Nio's new Onvo brand wants to launch its European debut L60 in the UK first, where such high tariffs are not required. This is what a Nio manager told Automotive News Europe (ANE). But we won't have to wait too long for the 4.82 metre-long electric SUV. Continental Europe could also be supplied from March.

According to the report, which we quote here from an Autocar report, Nio product planner Eric Yu said that Onvo exports to continental Europe would begin as soon as production reaches 30,000 units per month, which should be the case in March 2025.

Gallery: 2024 Onvo L60

Source: InsideEVs

Onvo is Nio's volume brand, so to speak, while the cheapest Nio (the EL6) costs €53,500 (approx. £44,200) including battery in Europe, the basic L60 in China is around £5,000 cheaper than the entry-level Model Y there, which is available in Germany from £44,990. Onvo is likely to orientate itself on this price model in Europe.

In any case, the UK will be the first European market to benefit from the Onvo L60. It should be ready by the beginning of 2025. Yu told ANE that Onvo would come to the UK first because there are no import duties on electric cars built in China. Prices are not yet known, but given its positioning as a Chinese volume brand, Onvo is likely to be hit harder by the tariffs than the premium brand Nio, where margins are higher. Nio electric vehicles are subject to an EU import duty of 31 per cent (instead of 10 per cent before the punitive tariffs were introduced).

While companies producing in China such as BYD, Chery, Mini, Polestar and Volvo are planning to relocate production to Europe in order to avoid the tariffs, Nio has no such plans. The company has passed up the opportunity to buy the Audi factory in Brussels.

Incidentally, a second Nio volume brand is to be "launched" on 21 December at Nio Day, called Firefly. This is fitting, as rumour has it that it will be one or more small electric cars. However, these are likely to be hit even harder by the tariffs than the Onvo L60 mid-range model. Autocar writes that the Onvo and Firefly models will probably be built in Europe at some point.

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One of the special features of the Onvo L60 is the 900-volt system. However, it is not certain whether the car can charge quickly because of this. According to data from CarNewsChina, a charging stroke from 30 to 80 per cent should take 24 minutes, which corresponds to a charging speed of just 1.7 kWh/min with a storage capacity of 85 kWh - a VW ID.4 Pro, for example, charges faster at 1.9 kWh/min. The evkx website, on the other hand, states a charging time of just under 21 minutes for 10-80 per cent, which corresponds to around 2.8 kWh/min. It should also be possible to charge with up to 260 kW, which would hardly be possible with a 400-volt system.

Another special feature of the L60 is the battery swap system: although the BYD batteries in the L60 have different storage capacities to those in the Nio models, these batteries can also be swapped at the newer Power Swap Stations from Nio.