Nio said Thursday it delivered the 30,000th unit of its ES8 three-row SUV, the company’s best-selling model, 89 days after the vehicle launched in September.
The final 10,000 units were delivered in just 19 days, reflecting an accelerating production ramp.
Nio delivered 2,803 ES8 vehicles in September, according to data from China’s Passenger Car Association. Deliveries surged to 6,703 in October and 10,677 in November, a 59.3% sequential increase.
The ES8 is Nio‘s only model with a backlog of several months.
As of Thursday, the company’s website showed delivery waiting times of 20 to 21 weeks, meaning orders placed now would arrive in the first half of May 2026.
The premium brand sold out its 40,000-unit production allocation within minutes of pricing being announced on September 20.
The model officially launched at Nio‘s annual event that day, with deliveries beginning the following day across 44 Chinese cities.
“Since September, BEVs have been leading the large three-row SUV market in China, surpassing all other powertrain types including extended-range, plug-in hybrid, and ICE,” founder and Chief Executive Officer William Li wrote on X Thursday.
“The message is clear: the golden era of large, three-row battery-electric SUVs is here,” Li added.
Supply Constraints Persist
At the September launch event, Li said it would be difficult to surpass the 40,000 production target for 2025 due to supply chain limitations.
Earlier this month, Li said battery supply had become the primary bottleneck limiting ES8 deliveries.
“Right now, one of the main bottlenecks for ES8 deliveries is batteries. The number of batteries that can currently be produced determines how many vehicles we can deliver,” Li said at an event in China. “So even our delivery speed is affected.”
The CEO noted the constraint is expected to ease in January when production capacity will exceed vehicle output.
Nio‘s main battery suppliers are CATL — its partner, investor, and the world’s largest battery maker — and CALB, which is backed by Nio Capital, an investment firm co-founded by Li.
Chip Shortage Adds Pressure
A chip shortage affecting the rear-seat entertainment system will force Nio to adopt a modified technical solution for ES8 vehicles starting December 22, the company said earlier this week.
“Due to a shortage in the supply of expansion chips for the rear-seat entertainment system of the all-new ES8, in order to ensure vehicle deliveries, starting from December 22, 2025, all-new ES8 vehicles coming off the final assembly line will adopt a new technical solution for the rear-seat entertainment expansion function,” the company said in a notice to customers via its mobile app.
Nio said vehicles already delivered are “largely unaffected” by the change.
Li acknowledged the company underestimated demand for the model.
Nio has been prioritizing battery production for ES8 assembly over its battery swap network since late September, a trade-off that temporarily constrained the infrastructure allowing drivers to exchange depleted packs for charged ones in minutes.
