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Nio Inc's premium compact EV brand is preparing to expand beyond its first model with Halo, a design-focused lineup that gives Nio a broader presence in China’s urban EV market. The launch comes as the brand builds momentum from strong delivery growth, accessible pricing and a strategy aimed at younger city drivers. Nio Inc's premium compact EV brand Firefly is preparing to broaden its product strategy with the launch of Halo, a new design-led series aimed at strengthening its position in China's urban electric-car market.  The company unveiled the Halo series on Friday and said the first model in the lineup will make its official debut on July 20.  Firefly released several teaser images showing the vehicle's exterior finish, softly illuminated logo and wheel details , presenting Halo as a styling-focused extension of the brand's compact EV offering.  A launch event is scheduled for 7:00 pm Beijing Time on July 20 at the Shanghai Botanical Garden, where Firefly ...

NIO began nationwide deliveries of its 5-seat ES8 SUV in China on Friday, as the Chinese EV maker seeks to cement its lead in the premium large SUV market with a more complete product lineup. Nio founder, chairman and CEO William Li, along with co-founder and president Qin Lihong, attended the delivery ceremony and handed over the new vehicles to the first batch of users.  Nio founder, chairman and CEO William Li (second from left) and the company's cofounder and president Qim Lihong (first from right) delivered the five-seat ES8 to the first customers The 5-seat ES8 comes in two trims . The 5-seat Executive Luxury version starts at 382,800 yuan ($56,470) for the full-vehicle purchase, or 274,800 yuan ($40,450) under the BaaS (battery as a service) battery rental plan. The 5-seat Executive Signature version starts at 422,800 yuan ($62,230) for the full-vehicle purchase, or 314,800 yuan ($46,340) under the battery rental plan.  NIO said the first batch of users receiving deliv...

The Chinese brand expands its flagship battery-powered lineup with a roomier cabin layout , lower entry cost, generous luggage capacity and advanced driver-assistance technology  NIO is broadening the appeal of the ES8 with a new five-seat version, designed to make its large electric SUV more versatile and more competitive in the premium segment . The Chinese automaker officially unveiled the model on Thursday, with two trims available and deliveries scheduled to begin on July 10. The Executive Luxury version starts at 382,800 yuan, equivalent to around $56,340, when purchased with the battery included. Under NIO’s BaaS battery-subscription program, the price drops to 274,800 yuan. The higher-spec Executive Signature is priced from 422,800 yuan, or 314,800 yuan with the battery rented separately. That pricing places the five-seat model 24,000 yuan, or 5.9 percent, below the entry price of the third-generation three-row ES8 , which starts at 406,800 yuan. It is a strategic move t...

Xiaomi's electric vehicle (EV) unit Xiaomi EV confirmed on Thursday that Sky Nomad is its second product series rather than the standalone sub-brand rumored earlier, and revealed the exterior and interior space of the lineup's first model for the first time. Xiaomi confirmed that SkyNomad will become its second vehicle lineup after the SU7 and YU7  A side view of the first model in Xiaomi's Sky Nomad series Lei Jun, Xiaomi's founder, chairman and CEO, said that the SU7/YU7 series is a "driver's car," while the Sky Nomad lineup is an "intelligent, transformable large-space SUV." "These are two different answers Xiaomi has delivered to different user needs over its more than five years of carmaking," Lei said.  The new SUV adopts a boxier, more upright silhouette than Xiaomi’s existing models. A flat roofline stretches toward the rear, reinforcing its utility-focused design. The front fascia differs noticeably from the SU7 and YU7. I...

On July 6, NIO Vice President Ma Lin revealed that the average selling price (ASP) of the NIO brand reached 443,000 yuan ($65,250) in June, up 61,000 yuan ($8,985) from May, representing a month-on-month increase of about 16% NIO ES9 On July 6, NIO Vice President Ma Lin revealed that the average selling price (ASP) of the NIO brand jumped to 443,000 yuan ($65,250) in June 2026, up 61,000 yuan ($8,985) from May, representing a month-on-month increase of about 16% and underscoring the Chinese EV maker's pricing power in the premium market.  The increase was primarily driven by stronger deliveries of the brand’s premium models. NIO delivered 21,908 vehicles under its core NIO brand in June, with the ES8 and ES9 emerging as the main contributors to sales. The ES9 , which entered its first full delivery month in June, played a particularly significant role. Priced between 498,000 yuan ($73,350) and 628,000 yuan ($92,500), it is currently NIO’s most expensive mass-produced model and als...

William Li, founder, chairman and CEO of NIO Inc, returned to his alma mater Peking University on Thursday, speaking as an alumni representative at the commencement ceremony for the class of 2026. Li graduated from Peking University's sociology department in 1996 , making this year the 30th anniversary of his graduation.  In his speech, Li said he had encountered six major low points since graduation and chose to share three of them with students, framing each as a lesson in entrepreneurial judgment.  The first lesson: survive the first failure  The first setback came almost immediately after graduation. In April 1996, months before receiving his degree, Li and two classmates founded Nanji Technology , one of China’s early internet virtual-hosting service providers.  When his co-founders later left for further studies overseas, Li was left to keep the company running on his own. He recalled sleeping on a conference table after late-night showers and clearing away...

The Chinese EV maker has opened pre-orders for the five-seat version of its large ES8 electric SUV, expanding its flagship model family with a more spacious configuration aimed at the premium large five-seat SUV segment The official launch is scheduled for July 9, and the new five-seat variant will be sold alongside the existing six- and seven-seat ES8 models. Display cars are now available in NIO stores, allowing customers to view the vehicle ahead of launch. Customers who place pre-orders before order locking begins can convert a 5,000 CNY deposit , approximately $735, into a 10,000 CNY discount, approximately $1,470, on the final purchase price. The dedicated pre-order channel will close once order locking opens. NIO founder, chairman and CEO William Li said the five-seat ES8 is intended to bring large five-seat SUVs into the all-electric era and strengthen the ES8’s position in the large SUV market. SPACE, COMFORT AND CARGO CAPACITY The five-seat ES8 uses the same body shell...

On June 26 , the Chinese EV maker announces that cumulative deliveries of its flagship ES9 SUV had exceeded 10,000 units within one month of launch, setting a new delivery-speed record for premium battery-electric models priced in the 500,000 yuan ($73,500) segment. NIO founder, chairman and CEO William Li attended the delivery ceremony in person NIO CEO William Li (right) delivers the 10,000th ES9 ti Li Ningchuan, founder of Zhejiang EV-Tech NIO reached the milestone of its 10,000th delivery of the ES9, its new flagship electric SUV, on Friday, underscoring the full-size model's strong market demand since launch. NIO 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. Li Ningchuan said at the handover ceremony that he has long been inspired by Li's dedication to technological innovation. "I a...

ONVO is trying to move beyond the perception that it is merely a cheaper NIO , as stronger sales, new models and tighter group integration turn the family-focused EV brand into a key test of NIO’s multi-brand strategy  The updated ONVO L60 SUV Speaking in June 2026, ONVO President Shen Fei pushed back against the market perception that "people only buy ONVO because they can't afford NIO”. He described that perception as an early misunderstanding. ONVO’s buyers, he argued, are not simply trading down from NIO. Many are middle managers with adequate purchasing power who are looking for a car that fits family use, rather than a badge that signals premium status. The distinction matters because ONVO was created to give NIO a route into China’s mainstream family EV market , especially the 200,000 to 300,000 yuan price band. Its first model, the L60, went on sale in September 2024 from 206,900 yuan and quickly showed promise, passing 10,000 deliveries by its third full month on t...

Earlier today, the third-generation large EV SUV officially celebrated delivery of its 120,000th vehicle, marking what can fairly be described as a successful generational update. The milestone comes as the Chinese EV maker prepares to expand the ES8 lineup. The company announced earlier today that the five-seat ES8 will open for pre-orders on June 28  NIO completed the delivery of the 120,000th unit of the third-generation ES8 in Shanghai on Monday , reinforcing the large electric SUV’s role as one of the core models in the company’s commercial strategy. A MILESTONE SUPPORTED BY STRONG DEMAND The delivery took place at NIO’s Nanxiang center in Shanghai’s Jiading district, 275 days after the first delivery of the third-generation ES8. The achievement highlights sustained demand for the model, which appears to be on track once again to exceed 10,000 monthly deliveries after reaching 110,000 units on May 23. According to a statement from NIO, the owner of the 120,000th ES8, Ms. Ye ,...

William Li, CEO of NIO, frames lightweighting as a core strategic challenge for NIO and the broader NEV industry . As electric vehicles become heavier due to larger batteries, longer-range ambitions, and added features, competitive advantage will depend on disciplined product trade-offs, advanced materials, and system-level engineering rather than simply increasing battery capacity William Li, Ceo of NIO, launched the updated Onvo L60 on June, 11 2026 As Chinese new energy vehicles become larger, heavier, and more feature-rich, lightweighting is emerging as a strategic engineering discipline rather than a cosmetic design choice . The challenge is to reduce mass without compromising safety, range, cost discipline, or user experience. Industry context: the weight challenge The Nio CEO's call for lightweighting comes as the Chinese auto industry faces a severe vehicle "obesity" crisis. China’s passenger-car market is facing a growing vehicle-weight problem. The average c...

A stronger model mix and rapid early take-up for new SUVs have lifted the Chinese EV maker back into contention, though sustained deliveries and margins remain the key proof points NIO ES9 SUV NIO Group’s latest order surge marks a sharp improvement in competitive momentum, with roughly 100,000 firm orders booked across its three brands in the four weeks to mid-June 2026, according to Goldman Sachs’ research . The same data put the group's two-week total above 47,000 units, suggesting that demand remained resilient after the initial launch spike for its flagship ES9 SUV. NIO sells through three brands : the premium Nio marque, the family-focused Onvo, and the compact Firefly. The surge reset the company's standing in a market it had trailed for much of the past year. The scale of the rebound was clearest in Goldman’s week-22 reading (May 25–31), when NIO’s weekly firm orders reached 38,810 units. That placed the company ahead of Geely’s Galaxy and Zeekr lines combined at 22,1...

The model combines more aggressive pricing with new autonomous-driving hardware and consumer incentives, reflecting intensifying competition in China’s electric-car market Onvo, NIO’s volume-focused sub-brand, launched the updated L60 SUV on Thursday with a 6.8% lower starting price , underscoring its push to strengthen competitiveness in China’s crowded EV market. The new L60 starts at 192,800 yuan ($28,440) with the battery included, down from 206,900 yuan for the previous version, while deliveries are scheduled to begin tomorrow.  The model is offered in three trims — Pro, Max+, and Ultra+ — priced at 192,800 yuan, 202,800 yuan, and 222,800 yuan, respectively. Under the BaaS (battery as a service) battery-rental scheme, starting prices fall to 135,800 yuan , 145,800 yuan, and 165,800 yuan. The update introduces 106 enhancements, led by the first use of NIO’s in-house 5-nanometer automotive chip, the Shenji NX9031, and the addition of LiDAR-equipped variants. The Max+ and Ul...