Beijing Motor Show Auto China 2026: NIO
Vehicle shown
- NIO ES9: F-segment SUV / BEV
- Vehicle designed in-house
- Annual volumes that can be expected in China: less than 10,000 units
Context
- The Chinese carmaker NIO was founded in 2016, but its first commercially available model dates back to 2018. NIO designs, manufactures, and markets premium electric vehicles. NIO has also ventured into the battery market. NIO operates a battery swapping system with over 1,500 stations in China, enabling the rapid replacement of a depleted battery with a charged one, rather than recharging the vehicle at a charging station, which can take many hours. Despite this technological advantage, NIO has not managed to outsell its main competitors. The current lineup consists of seven different models. The NIO brand has been steadily progressing since 2018. Its production volume in China has increased from 11,348 units in 2018 to 20,565 in 2019, 43,728 in 2020, 91,429 in 2021, 122,486 in 2022, 160,038 in 2023, 221,970 in 2024, and 326,000 in 2025. The brand is expected to unveil its new large SUV, the ES9, at the 2026 Beijing Motor Show, which will crown the range of this carmaker specializing in electric vehicles. This is one of the many large SUVs recently offered by most Chinese carmakers, styled after the Range Rover. It is also equipped with rear-wheel steering technology, giving this large SUV the turning radius and agility of the Firefly EV, NIO's smallest model with a length of only 4.00 m.