Fei Shen, chief of Nio’s sub-brand Onvo, said on Wednesday that pure electric vehicles are extending their lead over hybrids and range extenders, while sharing a new ranking comparing ten three-row SUVs published by local media outlet ‘Dongchedi’.
The Onvo L90 ranked first in the performance tests, with the Li Auto i8 following, plus the Lynk & Co 900, the SUV from the Geely-owned brand.
Responding to a post by auto blogger Yan Chuang on Weibo, Onvo‘s head said he was “very glad to see that in the rankings, the vast majority of vehicles where the first and second places are taken are pure electric models.”
The brand began deliveries of its second model, the L90, on the first day of August across over 40 cities in China.
Shen added that if Nio’s ES8 had also participated in the comparison, “perhaps the top three would all be pure electric” without mentioning L90’s direct rival — the Li Auto i8.
The third-generation ES8 will be officially launched this Saturday, on September 20 with deliveries planned to begin on the following day.
Quoting Nio founder and CEO William Li, Shen said: “The lead of pure electric will only become stronger” echoeing Li’s recent words.
He stressed that this advantage is not only reflected in Dongchedi’s latest evaluation of ten large six-seat SUVs, but also in what he described as a generational lead in pure electric driving experience.
Shen said he expects the lead will “gradually be reflected in the sales of large SUVs” as well.
Shen invited potential buyers to “go to the store and experience the Onvo L90 for yourselves, to personally verify the advantages of pure electric products in experience.”
Dongchedi’s ranking compared ten six-seat SUVs across multiple dimensions, including passenger cabin space for different heights, braking distance, acceleration, energy consumption, handling, ride comfort, intelligent features, road-noise isolation, and active safety.
The Onvo L90, launched earlier this year, was the clear standout of the test. It ranked first in four categories — including both front and rear cabin space, braking distance, and intelligent features.
The model secured second place in energy consumption, handling, and comfort.
The SUV achieved top-three positions in nearly every metric, underlining its balance across space, performance, and efficiency.
Its only weak spot was active safety, where it ranked eighth.
Li Auto’s i8 was the only non-pure electric model to secure first place in range and acceleration.
Other extended-range or hybrid models such as the Li Auto L9, Denza N9, and Voyah M8 performed well in certain categories but generally trailed EVs in efficiency, braking, or space.
Yan Chuang, who first posted the chart, said the L90’s “space and range are very impressive” and noted that 2025’s newly launched pure electric SUVs are “indeed ahead in product strength.”
He added that while consumers already broadly recognize EVs’ advantages in acceleration and handling, the new architectures also allow for “new play in space and scenarios,” making six-seat pure electrics increasingly attractive.
Onvo registered 2,620 vehicles in China between September 8 and 14, according to insurance registration data shared on Tuesday.
Last month, Fei Shen publicly rejected claims from a Li Auto salesperson that “many” customers had canceled pre-orders for Onvo‘s L90 SUV in favor of a rival model.
Several heated exchanges between the two brands followed throughout the month.
Earlier this week, a Weibo user warned Nio that “many” Li Auto sales staff were rushing to arrange test drives and then flooding online comment sections with smear campaigns and hostile remarks.
Nio‘s Head of User Operations Yang Bo replies that the brand has been “monitoring this. Thank you for the reminder.”
