Nio Day 2023 to start at 7 pm Beijing Time on Dec 23 (6:00 am US Eastern Time)

Nio's biggest event of the year, Nio Day 2023, is less than 48 hours away, and the electric vehicle (EV) maker has already begun displaying a countdown on its website.

Nio Day 2023 will begin at 7 pm Beijing Time on Dec 23, according to the Nio website. The start time of Nio Day 2023 will be 6 am US Eastern Time and 12:00 pm Central European Time.

Nio didn't specify, though the event usually lasts about two and a half hours and could end by 9:30 pm Beijing time.

This year's Nio Day will be held at the Olympic Sports Centre in Xi'an, Shaanxi province in Northwest China, a city well known in Chinese history as the capital of 13 dynasties and whose most recognizable attractions include the Terracotta Warriors.

Nio will unveil its executive flagship sedan, the ET9, on Nio Day 2023, William Li, Nio's founder, chairman, and CEO, said during a live broadcast of the 150-kWh semi-solid battery's range challenge on Dec 17.

The executive flagship market is one that has been largely inaccessible to Chinese brands, but in the age of smart EVs, the executive flagship has to be the tech flagship, Li said.

"So I think there's an opportunity for Chinese companies to get involved," he said.

This new model will become the global technology benchmark for smart EVs and lead the trend of smart EV technology, Li said in a Dec 5 earnings call.

Deutsche Bank analyst Edison Yu's team said in a research note sent to investors on December 5 that the model will be a low-volume car, but could be a halo vehicle that brings excitement to the brand.

It's worth noting that Li had previously mentioned that Nio won't be releasing and delivering any new models in 2024, which means that deliveries of the ET9 may not begin until 2025.

Nio has started warming up for the ET9 in recent days, including that the model will be built on a 900 V high-voltage architecture, resulting in a faster charging experience. All Nio models support battery swap, which allows getting a fully-charged battery in about three minutes.

On the new smart electric drive platform, Nio has further reduced the weight and size of the motor to achieve higher power density, a Nio executive said on December 20.

Yesterday, another Nio executive hinted that the company may unveil an in-house developed autonomous driving chip at Nio Day 2023.