Model Y L six-seater made redundant by NIO with cheaper 3-row Onvo L90 offering swappable battery

While Tesla is rumored to price its 3-row Model Y L SUV at the equivalent of $55,000 in China when it launches in the fall, NIO announced a six-seat SUV that is much cheaper and comes with superior specs.

Perhaps even more importantly, the new Onvo L90 offers a glimpse of what the seating configuration in the Tesla Model Y L could look like.

The L90 is equipped with four captain chairs on the first two rows of seats, and then a third row that offers two conjoined full-size seats that can recline 38 degrees for even more comfort on the back.

NIO has really pressed suppliers and kept costs in check to arrive at one of the best value-for-money offerings in the universe of 3-row electric SUVs. The Onvo L90 starts from the equivalent of $36,900 in China, or as much as the cheapest Model Y RWD there, while offering a modern 900V powertrain, larger swappable battery, more spacious interior, and a 240-liter frunk.

The EV maker already operates over 3,000 battery swap stations in China, with 1,000 of those placed along major highways. NIO's autonomous driving system can navigate the L90 to the nearest swap station, change the 85 kWh battery automatically in three minutes, and then continue to the destination.

At its 4,976 mm (188.8 inches) x 1920 x 1668 mm dimensions, the Model Y L is about seven inches longer than the current Juniper refresh that Tesla sells in the US or China. It is also two inches taller and with a flatter rear curve after the C-pillar to offer more headroom for the third row of seats that reportedly sits lower than the front two rows.

That is still way smaller than the Onvo L90, which, with its 5,145 x 1,998 x 1,786 mm dimensions, is a proper 3-row SUV with flat rear and ample headroom. It also offers the largest frunk in an electric SUV with its 240-liter capacity for cargo, and bench functionality.

In other words, NIO's affordable six-seater is a proper 3-row family SUV, while the Model Y L would still feel like a compromise in comparison, despite the longer wheelbase. The third row in the Onvo L90 offers 38-degree recline back into the spacious 430-liter trunk, as well as cup and phone holders, and USB-C charging ports, so the passengers in the back seat won't feel cramped despite that they aren't in the four captain chairs in the first two rows. The rear seats can also fold flat to fit a full-size mattress in the trunk, while fully reclining the four captain seats turns them into individual beds.

The larger and heavier L90 is made with strong 2000 megapascal steel and yet delivers slightly longer range on a charge than the RWD Model Y thanks to its efficient motor and powertrain that return a class leading energy consumption of 14.5 kWh per 100 km of distance covered.

There are screens for everybody in the car with a 17-inch overhead display for the rear seats, while audio is taken care of by the Onvo Sound Premium system with 23 custom speakers and a 2,000+ watts amp. NIO's SkyOS takes care of the autonomous driving to battery swap stations and the like, or the automatic parallel parking experience of the big 3-row SUV.

It remains to be seen what the Model Y L will ultimately look like, but if it is indeed priced fifteen grand more than the larger, faster, more comfortable L90, Tesla may not entice many buyers away from NIO's new six-seater under the mass market Onvo brand that is already on sale in the all-important Chinese market.

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