Nio plans ES9 launch event for April 10

The Chinese EV maker will hold a technology event for its new flagship Suv around April 10, a few weeks before the Beijing Auto Show opens its doors, co-founder and president Qin Lihong said on Sunday 

Nio is expected to unveil its new flagship Suv, the ES9, in mid-April, setting the stage for its appearance at the Beijing auto show later that month. The ES9's technology launch event is tentatively scheduled for around April 10, Nio co-founder and president Qin Lihong said during a weekend user engagement event. The exact date is subject to change. 

The timeline aligns with remarks Qin made in May 2025, when he said the new flagship SUV would debut in the first half of 2026. This indicates the ES9 is poised to make its real-life debut at the Beijing auto show in late April — one of the world's most anticipated biennial automotive events. The event attracted 892,000 visitors in 2024, setting a new record. The 19th Beijing International Automotive Exhibition (Auto China 2026) will take place in Beijing from April 24 to May 3, 2026. 

The ES9 will succeed the ET9 as Nio’s top Suv offering, following the ET9’s positioning as the brand’s flagship sedan. The ES9 will be Nio‘s largest and most powerful vehicle to date. In China, the number nine is typically reserved for a manufacturer's flagship model, as it symbolizes supremacy. 

The ES9 has completed its Tooling Trial (TT) manufacturing phase and will now enter Pre-Production (PP), Nio founder, chairman, and CEO William Li told media outlets at the Nio F2 factory in Hefei, Anhui on January 6. 

The model appeared in a regulatory catalog from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology earlier this month, revealing dimensions of 5,365 mm in length, 2,029 mm in width, and 1,870 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,250 mm. These dimensions exceed those of the third-generation ES8, currently China's largest electric Suv at 5,280 mm long, 2,010 mm wide, 1,800 mm tall, with a 3,250 mm wheelbase. 

That makes it 85 millimetres longer, 29 millimetres wider, and 70 millimetres taller than the ES8, which has served as Nio‘s flagship Suv since becoming the brand’s first mass-produced vehicle in May 2018. The ES9 will be Nio's third model upgraded to the third-generation vehicle platform NT 3.0, following the ET9 and third-generation ES8. 

The ES9 will feature a dual-motor all-wheel drive system producing a combined 520 kilowatts (697 horsepower), with 180 kW at the front axle and 340 kW at the rear. Top speed is rated at 220 kilometres per hour. 

Like the sedan, the ES9 is expected to feature steer-by-wire, Nio‘s Cedar operating system, two Shenji NX9031 intelligent driving chips, and the SkyRide chassis system — representing the highest level of technology Nio has put into a vehicle. “The ES9 is more geared towards business use,” Li said earlier this month at a media briefing during the company’s one-millionth vehicle ceremony in Hefei. “Compared to the purely executive ET9, the ES9 will have more diverse applications.” 

The Suv will be equipped with CATL-supplied nickel-cobalt-manganese ternary lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of 102 kWh. CATL has been Nio‘s primary battery supplier since the company’s founding in November 2014. The regulatory filing confirms the ES9 can be sold under Nio‘s battery-as-a-service model, which allows customers to purchase the vehicle without the battery and pay a monthly subscription instead. 

Three curb weight variants are listed at 2,845, 2,870, and 2,915 kilograms, suggesting different battery pack or equipment configurations. Available options include two-tone exterior paint, 21-inch, 22-inch, or 23-inch wheels, coloured brake calipers, electric running boards, and various blacked-out trim pieces. Deliveries are expected to begin later in the second quarter following the April debut.