Vital lead the studio development of the Nio EP9 programme. The EP9 is a high-performance electric supercar that debuted at the Shanghai Motor Show in 2016. Our team handled the entire development journey from 12 iterations of the clay model, issue of Design A-surface CAD and creation of the five show vehicles displayed at the Shanghai international motor show under the guidance of NIO Senior Design Director David Hilton.
Using our expertise in rapid prototyping, we condensed the timeframes for the Nio EP9's development, allowing for faster iterations and improvements. Our team quickly created accurate and detailed car models by utilising low-volume additive manufacturing processes, which allowed the Nio team to make important design decisions and refine the car's performance.
Vital was responsible for not only the design development and show cars but also the design and manufacture of all the lighting system, the working Keyfobs, heart rate monitors and many of the bespoke components for the short production run.
Director Rich Toal says:
“Using our expertise in rapid prototyping, we condensed the timeframes for the Nio EP9's development, allowing for faster iterations and improvements. Our team quickly created accurate and detailed car models, which allowed the Nio team to make critical design decisions and refine the car's performance”.