Nio founder, chairman, and CEO William Li (right) delivers an ES9 to Li Ningchuan, founder of Zhejiang EV-Tech. Credit: Nio
- The milestone means that Nio has delivered 6,892 ES9s so far this month, considering that 3,108 units of the SUV were delivered last month.
- Nio founder, chairman and CEO William Li attended the delivery ceremony in person.
Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) reached the milestone of its 10,000th delivery of the ES9, its new flagship electric SUV (sport utility vehicle), on Friday, underscoring the full-size model’s strong market demand since launch.
Prominent auto blogger Wu Ying shared the moment first in a Weibo post. A photo accompanying the post shows that William Li, founder, chairman, and CEO of Nio, personally attended the delivery ceremony.
Nio subsequently announced this milestone through its official channels, saying that the owner of the 10,000th ES9 is Li Ningchuan, founder, chairman, and general manager of EV parts manufacturer Zhejiang EV-Tech, who also owns another Nio vehicle.
The latest milestone means that Nio has delivered 6,892 ES9s so far this month, considering that 3,108 units of the SUV were delivered last month.
The development delivers on earlier expectations from the company’s executives. Ma Lin, Nio’s vice president for branding and communications, said in early June that the ES9 would reach its 10,000th delivery within the month.
The ES9 was officially launched on May 27 and began its first deliveries the following day. The model took about a month to cross the 10,000-unit mark from the start of deliveries, a notably fast pace.
The vehicle starts at 498,000 yuan ($73,260), making it one of the most expensive locally branded models in China. If consumers opt for the BaaS (battery as a service) battery rental plan, the starting price drops to 390,000 yuan.
Nio has packed the ES9 with a wealth of advanced technologies, aiming to replicate the success of its other large SUV, the ES8. The ES8 starts at 406,800 yuan and is the key model driving the company’s recent financial turnaround.
Higher-end versions of the ES9 come with dual Shenji NX9031 smart-driving chips, as well as the SkyRide active suspension system. This hardware provides support for the vehicle’s smart driving and handling performance.
Behind the strong delivery figures lies a substantial order backlog. Deutsche Bank estimated on June 8 that the ES9 had at that point secured over 25,000 non-cancelable orders.
The robust demand has also led to long wait times. Customers ordering the high-end versions equipped with the SkyRide suspension system currently face delivery waits of as long as 16 to 17 weeks.
The milestone also reinforces analysts’ optimism over Nio’s earnings outlook. Deutsche Bank predicted that, thanks to strong deliveries of high-margin SUV models, Nio will continue to post non-GAAP profitability in the second quarter.
The bank estimated Nio’s second-quarter non-GAAP net profit will reach about 180 million yuan, and has raised its full-year 2026 delivery forecast for the ES9 to 56,000 units.
Meanwhile, Nio’s other mainstay model, the ES8, has maintained its sales momentum. The third-generation ES8 completed its 120,000th delivery in Shanghai on June 22.
The ES8 delivered 11,475 units in May, topping the 10,000 mark for the seventh straight month. In the first five months of this year, the model delivered a cumulative 69,690 units, accounting for 46.30% of Nio’s total deliveries.
Nio is seeking to boost overall sales through a dense lineup of new product launches. The company will open pre-orders for the five-seat version of the ES8 in two days, on June 28, further expanding the lineup of this mainstay model.
Looking ahead, Nio expects total second-quarter deliveries to come in between 110,000 and 115,000 units. Based on recent performance, its June deliveries are on track to reach 43,000 to 48,000 units.
Nio delivered 37,705 vehicles in May, setting the company’s highest monthly delivery record so far this year.
Nio founder, chairman, and CEO William Li speaks at the delivery ceremony for the 10,000th ES9. Credit: Nio
Nio will bring the five-seat ES8 to showrooms on June 28, opening pre-orders the same day.
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