The first interior image of Nio‘s upcoming ES9 full-size SUV has leaked, offering the earliest look at a rear cabin that borrows heavily from the flagship ET9 sedan — 11 days before the company is expected to officially reveal the interior.
The leak landed just a day after a detailed launch timeline surfaced on the Chinese automotive platform XChuXing, reportedly shared by a Nio sales representative.
The photo, which circulated on Chinese social media on Friday, shows the ES9’s second row configured as a two-seat executive layout with a centre island partition.
Two large entertainment screens are mounted on the back of the front headrests, each running Nio‘s infotainment system.
A fold-out tray table is deployed between the seats in a two-panel hinged design, with a water bottle and cup visible in the centre console’s cup holders.
The image also confirms the ES9 shares the same rectangular steering wheel as the ET9 — consistent with the steer-by-wire system that is part of the SkyRide intelligent chassis the two vehicles share.
The in-car AI voice assistant NOMI is also confirmed on the dashboard.
What the Leak Reveals
The rear cabin architecture closely mirrors the ET9’s executive configuration.
Both vehicles feature dual headrest-mounted rear entertainment screens, fold-out tray tables, leather seating, a centre console with integrated display, and the NOMI voice assistant.
The dashboard appears more upright than the ET9’s horizontally stretched layout, reflecting the higher SUV seating position.
The rear cabin geometry will also differ inherently — the ES9’s taller roofline should offer more headroom than the ET9’s enclosed, lounge-like sedan proportions.
Interior colour options will vary across both models depending on trim and specification.
The leaked ES9 shows a deep burgundy leather throughout, while the ET9 has been shown in cream, navy, and black configurations in official press material.
The ES9’s dimensions — 5,365 mm in length with a 3,250 mm wheelbase, 430 mm longer than the third-generation ES8 — give Nio substantially more cabin volume to work with than the ET9 sedan.
Timeline
The leak landed just a day after a detailed launch timeline surfaced on the Chinese automotive platform XChuXing, reportedly shared by a Nio sales representative.
That schedule outlined an official interior reveal on April 7, media static experience on April 8, a technology launch event on April 9, configurator opening on May 11, and a launch event with order lock-in on May 28.
The source added that test drives would be available before the official launch.
Nio founder and CEO William Li confirmed earlier this month that the April 9 event would proceed, describing the ES9 as “the most important product of the year” and “the world’s most technologically advanced SUV.”
Li said the vehicle had completed the tooling trial manufacturing phase and entered pre-production. Deliveries are planned to begin on June 1.
SkyRide Platform
The ES9 inherits the ET9’s SkyRide intelligent chassis, which integrates ClearMotion-based fully active suspension, steer-by-wire, and rear-wheel steering into a unified platform.
The system debuted on the ET9, which starts at 788,000 yuan ($114,000) in China.
Earlier this week, the ES9 was photographed uncamouflaged on a public road for the first time during the filming of promotional material.
The exterior images showed silver chrome trim, a pure white interior visible through the windows, roof-mounted LiDAR, and the production-ready body of what will become China’s largest SUV.
Flagship Succession
The ES9 will replace the ES8 as Nio‘s flagship SUV — a position the ES8 has held since becoming the brand’s first mass-produced vehicle in May 2018.
The third-generation ES8, launched last year, became the best-selling pure electric large SUV in China in the fourth quarter of 2025 and represented a vast majority of the brand’s sales over the past few months.
The ES9 sits above it as a full-size model aimed at the executive segment.
