Nio Inc’s (NYSE: NIO) ES8 large electric SUV (sport utility vehicle) appears to have maintained strong momentum following the launch of the new flagship ES9 SUV, and is set to reach another milestone this month.
The all-new ES8 is expected to complete its 120,000th delivery this month, Nio co-founder and president Qin Lihong said in his WeChat status on Friday. Qin is on CnEVPost’s WeChat contact list.
He also mentioned that the ES9 will see its 10,000th delivery, echoing comments made earlier today by Ma Lin, the company’s vice president of branding and communications.
The data suggests that the sales momentum of the third-generation ES8 does not appear to have been significantly affected by the high profile of the ES9 following its launch.
The third-generation ES8, which was officially launched in September 2025, is a high-gross-margin model with a starting price of 406,800 yuan ($60,150) and has been a key driver of the company’s recent financial turnaround.
In May, the ES8 delivered 11,475 vehicles, marking the seventh consecutive month the model has exceeded the 10,000-unit delivery mark.
The ES8 just reached its 110,000th delivery milestone on May 23. The upcoming 120,000th delivery means the model is on track to see monthly deliveries exceed 10,000 units again in June.
Meanwhile, the Nio ES9, which was officially launched on May 27, has also shown strong market demand. The full-size SUV, which is larger than the ES8, has a higher starting price of 498,000 yuan.
Currently, customers ordering the higher-trim ES9 equipped with the SkyRide active suspension system face a delivery wait time of up to 16 to 17 weeks.
This comes amid intensifying competition in China’s large SUV market, as the rivalry between Nio and local competitor Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) continues to escalate.
Earlier today, Ma publicly questioned a chassis comparison test video posted on Li Auto’s official platform, which compared the suspension performance of the updated Li L9 and the Nio ES9.
For Nio Inc, deliveries in June are expected to grow further. Based on the guidance in the company’s earnings report released last month, its June deliveries are expected to be between 43,000 and 48,000 units.
It delivered 37,705 vehicles in May, setting its highest single-month delivery record so far this year.
In addition to the main Nio brand, the mass-market sub-brand Onvo will be another key engine driving the sales rebound.
Onvo’s all-new large five-seat SUV, the L80, officially launched on May 15. In just half a month, the model has already delivered nearly 6,000 units.
Furthermore, the updated Onvo L60 debuted and began pre-sales at the Shenzhen Auto Show on May 29, with the model scheduled to officially launch on June 11.
The mid-size SUV introduces Nio’s in-house developed 5-nanometer automotive-grade autonomous driving chip, the Shenji NX9031, for the first time, and will also offer versions equipped with LiDAR.
($1 = 6.7626 yuan)
