Nio today officially launched its own smartphone in China. The new product received the laconic name Nio Phone, but this is far from an ordinary model, both in terms of characteristics and meaning.

The thing is, Nio Phone is designed for Nio car owners. Using a mobile device, they can control more than 30 different car functions: adjust climate system parameters, open and close windows, check the charge level of the traction battery, adjust seats, etc.

But that’s not all: Nio Phone works closely with the infotainment system of Nio cars. So, you can set a destination on your smartphone, and the route to it with hints will be displayed on the screen of the car’s media system. In the same way, you can start watching a movie on your phone and finish watching it on the display of your media system. You can control the car with your voice via your smartphone.

Nio Phone is built on a single-chip Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 system. The OLED screen of the Samsung E6 is characterized by a diagonal of 6.81 inches, 2K resolution, a frame rate of 120 Hz and a brightness of 1800 cd/sq.m. The main camera has three sensors with a resolution of 50 megapixels – Sony IMX890, Sony IMX707 and Sony IMX766.

The battery capacity was 5200 mAh. It supports 66W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging.

Prices are as follows: 12/512 GB – $890, 12 GB/1TB – $945, 16 GB/1 TB – $1030.

Pre-sale of the GAC Trumpchi ES9 PHEV SUV with a range of 1,215 km will begin on October 1 in China.

GAC announced that its Trumpchi-branded ES9 crossover will go on pre-sale on October 1, starting at $41,100. The ES9 is the second vehicle in Trumpchi’s new energy E Series, following the E9 minivan. It is expected to be officially released later this year.

The latest model is powered by the same Trumpchi-developed 2.0L turbocharged engine, along with the GMC 400 hybrid transmission and dedicated battery. The engine provides maximum power of 190 hp. and maximum torque of 330 Nm. With a 25 kWh battery, it is estimated that the car will be able to travel more than 143 km in electric mode. The total range is more than 1215 km. Consumption is 6.18 liters per 100 km.

The GAC Trumpchi ES9, developed on the second generation of the GS8 platform, is built on a chassis measuring 5015 x 1950 x 1780 mm with a wheelbase of 2920 mm. The interior mirrors that of the GS8 and features a floating central control screen with a multifunction steering wheel. The car also receives the ADiGO 4.0 intelligent driving system, which includes a head-up display, as well as ADiGO 4.0 and ADAS ADiGO 4.0 systems.

The car received a round steering wheel with three spokes, a digital instrument panel, a 14.6-inch touch screen and an unusually shaped gear selector. The computer part is built on the basis of a single-chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 SOC system.

GAC Trumpchi ES9 is available in 7 and 6 seat versions.

The Tacqua Discovery crossover debuted in China. Already from the appearance it is clear that this is a local version of the compact crossover T-Roc, popular in Europe. A special feature of the Discovery version is its very good equipment. True, the price for such a “baby” is considerable – from 19.7 thousand dollars.

At the same time, the characteristics leave much to be desired: the 1.2-liter turbo engine produces only 116 hp, there is no all-wheel drive, and a 7-speed DSG “robot” acts in the gearbox roller. But the declared consumption is low – only 5.6 liters per 100 km.

But the equipment is not bad: there is a digital dashboard, a media system with a 9.2-inch diagonal screen, a panoramic roof, exterior rear-view mirrors that automatically fold when parking (and tilt when reversing). However, for some reason, the auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror disappeared from the equipment.