NIO tore Tesla cars down to make a cheaper Model Y competitor with high efficiency

Tesla reportedly took apart a Honda Civic to learn how to make budget cars like the now-defunct Model 2 or the Robotaxi, and NIO did the same by tearing down Tesla vehicles.

Just like Tesla will be learning from that experience to transfer the Robotaxi cost savings to the next Model Y Juniper facelift, NIO applied the Tesla teardown knowledge to its first direct Model Y competitor.

We have dismantled a lot of Tesla cars, and the work is really good in many places. But if the cost cannot match that of Tesla in the Chinese market, then we have done a poor job. They are all Chinese employees and Chinese supply chains. We also have full-stack self-developed things. NT3.0 is a new technology platform. We use research and development in exchange for costs. We are very confident in competing with Model Y.

Previously, NIO's CEO announced that the automaker has managed to make the upcoming Onvo L60 10% cheaper to manufacture than Tesla's Model Y. He went as far as advising to hold off on a Model Y purchase until the unveiling.

That's not an insignificant amount of production cost savings, so the Onvo L60 will likely debut on May 15 at a lower price than the Model Y in China.

NIO even slapped stickers on the test L60 mules that said "better than Model Y," and, indeed, the L60 will reportedly come with 900V architecture, bigger screen, and swappable battery.

The L60 was already caught changing packs at a NIO battery swap station, and the CEO previewed its luxury interior that seems to be an antipode of Tesla's minimalistic approach not long ago.

A NIO official now divulged that the company visited major cities and talked with many families before deciding on the final L60 design, price, and features. A particular emphasis was placed on the electric SUV's energy consumption from day one, too.

"Batteries cost a lot of money, and if we reduce the power consumption, then the range is longer, and it saves the user money," he said, and added that NIO had to "communicate with the smart hardware, the operating system, the chip and even the fuse team to try to reduce the energy consumption by every kWh that can be reduced."

While the Model Y is Tesla's bestselling vehicle, in China it has a steep competition, and it remains to be seen if a cheaper Onvo L60 will dent its market share further.

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