My FH5 Log: Chinese foods for thought (PART 1)

With February the month of the Winter Olympics that take place in Beijing, China, amid the oppositions and criticisms, the Series 4 update of Forza Horizon 5 is in tune with the times as the latest series update features three Chinese-made cars, two are from Chinese carmakers featured for the first time in the Forza franchise. The first is the electric track-only masterpiece from NIO known as the EP9.

Having accumulated 25 points from this series' Wet Season playlist, I've got the chance to experience NIO's electric masterpiece that once broke the Nurburgring Nordschleife record before Volkswagen's ID.R snagged it moments later.

Dubbed as "one of the fastest electric cars in the world", the NIO EP9 is the spearhead of the birth of NextEV's global brand that embodies the car company of the future. The signature electric powertrain consists of four inboard MGUs making the EP9 capable of unleashing 1MW (1,360PS) of power output. It hits 0-200kph in 7.1 seconds and has a top speed of 313kph. Apart from the performance, the NIO EP9's dynamics and aerodynamics are heavily inspired by NextEV's Formula E involvement since winning the inaugural season in 2015. Such engineering excellence made the NIO EP9 lapped around the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 6:45.900.

Think of the EP9 as a Formula E car with a different approach because while it incorporates most of the Formula E knowhow, the NIO EP9's performance is beyond comparison for an electric vehicle that shatters the rules of being a track weapon. It may look like a fancy hypercar built to park outside the casino in Monte Carlo but it's not road legal, which is a bummer for a hypercar that tries to outlast against the world's best hypercars. Despite being built for track use only, the NIO EP9 is a surprisingly mild and menacing electric hypercar that loves to show the world who's in charge. Such cynicism yields results and impressions. That's China for you.

To exploit the EP9's strengths and weaknesses, it's time to give this Chinese electric hypercar a race against the best hypercars that ever existed on the closed streets of Guanajuato. This should be exciting but anyway, let's roll the tape.

It truly is mild and menacing in every way and this NIO EP9 is no exception.

And there you have it. The NIO EP9 may be built for track use only but its shocking performance is something that should not be underestimated. The Chinese truly are on the road to world domination and this electric hypercar is a sign of things to come.

My time with the EP9 is done but the Chinese invasion on Forza Horizon 5's Series 4 update continues. Stay tuned for more.