So, you thought the electric vehicle wars in China were cooling off? Think again. Nio Inc. (NIO) is revving up for what looks like a full-scale SUV offensive, rolling out new models from both its main brand and its Onvo sub-brand in the coming months. It's a clear move to grab more turf in a market where rivals like Tesla Inc. (TSLA) and Li Auto Inc. (LI) are also jockeying for position.
The plan was laid out by Nio's co-founder and president, Qin Lihong, during a recent community event. Here’s the playbook: first up is the flagship ES9 SUV. The company will host a special product and technology showcase around April 10, then get the model into showrooms later in May. Pricing will be revealed at launch, and if all goes according to plan, deliveries will start rolling out at the beginning of June. That’s a pretty tight timeline—from showcase to customer driveway in about two months.
But Nio isn’t stopping there. The company’s Onvo division, which is basically Nio’s more affordable sibling brand, is also getting in on the action. It’s launching a new vehicle called the L80 in the second quarter. Full specifications are expected by the end of April, with pricing announcements and the first deliveries penciled in for mid-May. The timing isn’t random—it lines up with Onvo’s second anniversary, which Nio is using to highlight how this sub-brand fits into its broader strategy of covering more price points and customer segments.
All this comes at a time when Nio’s signature battery-swap service is seeing some serious momentum. During the 2026 Spring Festival holiday (that’s February 15 to 23 for those keeping score), the company set multiple single-day records for swaps, peaking at 177,627 swaps in one day. That was the sixth time in February alone that Nio broke its own historical record. It’s a good sign that drivers are actually using—and apparently loving—the swap infrastructure, which is a key part of Nio’s pitch against competitors who mostly rely on plug-in charging.
As for the stock, Nio shares were down 1.71% at $5.19 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to market data. But with new models on the horizon and battery swaps hitting new highs, the company is clearly betting that its product blitz will pay off in the long run.
