After a year of repeated consideration, I finally decided to buy a Weilai ES6. Before the end of 2019, I paid a deposit of 20,000 yuan for the car, fulfilling my wish.

The journey of buying the NIO ES6

Three months ago, in our new car review series of articles specially planned for the National Day "Those Chinese Cars in Those Years", I wrote an article Regarding the views of new car-making forces, the title is true. I almost bought a NIO ES6, but some people in the comments congratulated me for not buying it. Some people said that I was obsessed with buying NIO. Some people said that I wanted to cheat on manuscript fees even if I didn’t buy it... The atmosphere in the comment area was very embarrassing, and I didn’t know how to reply to these messages. This feeling is like when you share your heartbreaking breakup experience with your friends, and they laugh and wish you a happy breakup. At this time, everything you say seems so feeble.

The first time I booked the NIO ES6 was the night after the NIO Day in 2018. Four hours after the ES6 was officially released, I paid a deposit of 5,000 yuan without even touching the car. But later, due to the promotion of parking spaces in the community, all the money was used to buy parking spaces, so I had no choice but to refund the deposit for ES6. Later, I participated in the first media test drive meeting of ES6, and also got an in-depth experience of the test drive in Guangzhou. The performance of this car in all aspects can be said to have exceeded my original expectations. However, at this time, ES6 was on the market. There are more and more competitors, such as Tesla Model 3, GAC New Energy Aion LX and so on.

The emergence of these new cars has raised my expectations for the battery life of pure electric vehicles at this price. Because driving the ES6, I cannot go back to my hometown in Chaoshan, 400km away. Even if I choose the 80kWh battery pack, the pure electric battery life of the ES6 It’s only 510km. Every once in a while, I will check the route from Guangzhou back to Chaoshan to see if there are new charging piles in the high-speed service areas on the road and whether NIO has added new power swap stations. But every time I get disappointment. The construction progress of high-speed charging pile facilities is hopelessly slow, and NIO will rarely reveal in advance where the next batch of battery swap stations will be built.

On December 26, 2019, things suddenly took a turn for the better. That morning I was talking to my friend, "If there is a battery swapping station on the highway going home, I will definitely buy NIO." After a while, NIO announced that the battery swapping station in the Waxi service area of ??Shantou-Zhan Expressway was online. The Waxi service area is located exactly in the middle between Guangzhou and Chaoshan, which means that you can go home with an ES6 with a range of 400km. Two days later on 2019?NIO?DAY, NIO released another 100kWh battery pack and provided an on-demand upgrade plan of 1,280 yuan/month. The maximum cruising range of NIO ES6 can be expanded to 600km. I am very satisfied with its battery life. The last worry is completely eliminated. I was really excited by the good news that was coming one after another. After watching the NIO?DAY live broadcast, I couldn't wait to convince my wife and decided to take my little princess to the NIO Center in Zhujiang New Town to book a car the next day.

Why I bought NIO ES6

The reason why I chose NIO ES6 is basically for two reasons, one is the actual demand level, and the other is the emotional level .

Actual demand level:

1. I need a comfortable big car;

2. I want to experience a high-quality electric car, which must have Automatic driving assistance function;

3. I have the conditions to enjoy an electric car comfortably (there is no winter in Guangdong, the parking space can be equipped with charging piles, there are Xiaopeng's fast charging piles downstairs in the company, and there are also charging piles at the doorstep of my home) There are commercial fast charging piles);

4. Battery swapping is very convenient and free (there are battery swapping stations opposite the company and in the expressway service area where I pass by at work);

5. So far, I The farthest I can drive my own car is to Nan'ao Island in Shantou (less than 500km), and the most traveled long distance is back to my hometown;

6. ES6 can continuously increase its cruising range through battery swapping, and there are many battery swapping stations. Can run further;

7. Weilai has a lifetime warranty, so you don’t have to worry about battery degradation when replacing batteries;

8. There is no purchase tax when buying an electric car, and you can occupy an extra Guangzhou brand;

9. NIO’s 5-year low-interest loan plan (my annual interest rate is 1.99, which increased to 2.19 in 2020) will not put too much repayment pressure on me;

10. It is easier to write articles on topics if you buy NIO ES6, and you can earn back some manuscript fees.

Emotional level:

1. I hope to use practical actions to support Chinese brands, whether they are independent brands or new car-making forces;

2. I think Weilai can bring high-quality products and services to users, and it has an innovative spirit and deserves support;

3. Even if Weilai cannot survive one day, I have the ability and psychological preparation to bear the consequences;

4. I agree that electric vehicles are the future development trend and are more environmentally friendly. At least I don’t have to worry about my daughter breathing exhaust fumes if I turn on the air conditioner in the garage in advance.

What configuration did I buy?

After test-driving the performance version at the NIO Center, my wife was very satisfied with the comfort of the ES6, and my daughter did not make a fuss. However, the NIO Center did not complain. The equipped sports version is available for test driving, and there is no child safety seat provided. These two points are not very good. In addition, the service provided by NIO Center is truly unbeatable. The sales consultants are also very honest and don’t fool people. They don’t have as many words and routines as traditional 4S stores.

Because I have driven the performance version many times, but have never touched the sports version. In order to avoid the pitfalls, I can only bite the bullet and buy the performance version. The battery is only 70kWh for the time being, and I will need to rent another 100kWh later. of. The specific configuration options are as follows:

1. Appearance: Stratoblue. I like blue originally, and my wife was also very satisfied after seeing Stratoblue; (free)

2. Interior: Speed ??gray leather and black fabric ceiling, because the black interior is too ugly, the brown is a bit old-fashioned, and the light-colored ceiling is not textured enough; (free)

3. NIO? Pilot, for me It is definitely a must-have configuration, because there is too much traffic where I live, and without automatic car tracking, I feel like abandoning the car every minute. Occasionally, it can reduce fatigue when I return to Chaoshan for a long distance; (39,000 yuan)

4. NOMI ?Mate, without NOMI interior, I always feel like it’s missing something, although I think NOMI is quite expensive; (4800 yuan)

5. Advanced surround sound system, I have never heard of low-end speakers, it is also to avoid Pitfall; (6,000 yuan)

6. Comfort package, I bought this to get a low-interest loan to finance the car price of 450,000 yuan. I chose between the heads-up display and the Comfort package, and finally decided Choose Comfort. Although of the many functions inside, only seat ventilation and door pedals are useful in Guangdong. The steering wheel heating and rear seat heating can only be used once a year. The fragrance system accessories are too expensive, but they cost 6,500 yuan. It is even less cost-effective to buy a head-up display and anti-glare exterior mirrors. (7,500 yuan)

Why not choose the Queen’s co-pilot? Because the seat belt will be disabled if the passenger seat is adjusted very far back while driving. This function is a good idea but is actually useless in practice. My wife does not feel that the Queen's passenger seat is very comfortable. In fact, it would be more practical to put the foot rest behind the passenger seat like an executive car like the Audi A8. The front seats can be tilted forward and the back of the rear seats can be reclined a little.

Another reason why we rushed to place the order before the year before is that NIO has a price guarantee policy for orders placed before the year. Even if the state subsidy is gone when picking up the car, NIO will pay for the difference. In addition, The salesperson also gave me an additional 20,000 Weilai APP points, which can be used to exchange for the entire car film when I pick up the car, and then there are no other discounts. A relative in Beijing placed an order in early December and received a free service worth RMB 13,000 (including full insurance). This should be the biggest discount Weilai has ever had, but it’s a pity that I didn’t catch up.

My order has now been delivered to the factory for production, and the car is expected to be picked up before the end of February. After being a guinea pig for a while, I should have a lot of things to share with you in the future. I want to make the process of using this car a special long-term test content. Just like Brother Qing did after buying a second-hand A6, I can share the car experience with you at any time on our new car review website and my personal Weibo. No matter you Whether it is electric blackening or electric blowing, you are welcome to pay attention.

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.