Nio Inc reached a new key milestone by delivering its 100,000th third-generation ES8, as sales momentum for the large electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) continues.
The company hit the milestone in Beijing on Thursday, an achievement that comes just one day before the opening of the highly anticipated 2026 Beijing Auto Show.
The owner of the 100,000th third-generation ES8 is Jiang Zheyuan, founder and chairman of Chinese robotics manufacturer Noetix Robotics. William Li, founder, chairman, and CEO of Nio, personally handed over the vehicle to him.
Since the start of deliveries, the all-new ES8 reached the milestone of 100,000 units delivered in 215 days, setting a new sales and delivery record for premium vehicles priced above 400,000 yuan ($58,550) in China’s passenger car market, Nio said.
The model dominated the Beijing large SUV market in the first quarter, becoming the city’s top-selling large SUV regardless of energy type or price range, according to the company.
Nio reported similar regional success earlier this month, emerging as the top-selling passenger vehicle brand in Shanghai and Hefei for the first quarter. The rankings were regardless of body style, energy type, or price range.
The commercial success of the third-generation ES8 has been a key driver in Nio’s recent financial turnaround. With a starting price of 406,800 yuan ($59,590), it is one of the most expensive models from a domestic automaker.
The model delivered a total of 45,184 new cars in the first quarter of this year, contributing a massive 54.14% share of Nio Inc’s total deliveries during the same period.
The pure electric SUV has performed strongly since its launch, seeing monthly deliveries exceed 10,000 units for five consecutive months by March.
The latest milestone means the model’s deliveries in April have once again breached this threshold. The company just completed the 90,000th delivery of the third-generation ES8 on April 3.
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To maintain sales momentum for the high-margin model, Nio extended its car-buying incentives in April. This includes retaining a limited-time purchase tax subsidy of 10,000 yuan for buyers.
The company also plans to launch a five-seat version of the third-generation ES8 in early July to attract more potential buyers. The currently available ES8 models only offer six- and seven-seat configurations.
The 2026 Beijing auto show will kick off on Friday, with Nio Inc showcasing its three brands — Nio, Onvo, and Firefly — in the same exhibition hall for the first time.
While boosting short-term sales, Nio’s founder, chairman, and CEO William Li warned earlier this month that the company faces external pressure in the second quarter as the whole industry does. To navigate industry headwinds, Nio is preparing to enter an intensive period of new product launches.
Nio is pinning its hopes on the upcoming new flagship SUV model, the ES9, as well as the sub-brand Onvo’s new SUV model, the L80. The ES9 has already opened for pre-sales with a starting price of 528,000 yuan.
Li expects that as the new model effect of the ES9 and Onvo L80 gradually materializes, Nio’s deliveries will see a steady increase in May and June.
On April 21, Onvo just launched the 2026 L90 SUV, equipped with the in-house developed Shenji NX9031 smart driving chip, while keeping the price unchanged.
On April 2, the company launched the 2026 editions of the ET5, ET5 Touring, ES6, and EC6, featuring upgraded configurations with unchanged starting prices.
($1 = 6.8864 yuan)
