Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio sold only two cars in the Netherlands last month, marking its worst monthly performance in the market since launching there in October 2022, according to official registration data released on Friday.
The figures represent a sharp drop from the 13 vehicles sold in March and a steep decline from the 22 units sold in April last year. The company delivered one unit each of its EL8 SUV and ET7 sedan in April.
The weak sales come amid a leadership transition at the Shanghai-based premium EV brand’s Dutch operations. In mid-March, Nio announced that Ruben Keuter, its country manager, would step down by the end of the month.
He has since joined Hyundai Motor. Tristan Hamelink, previously head of sales and operations, has taken over the role.
The EL8, named ES8 in China, will get a refreshed version in the final quarter of the year, as confirmed by the company’s founder and CEO, William Li, at last week’s Shanghai Auto Show.
The ET7 sedan starts at €72,233 in the Netherlands, equivalent to $82,150. Nio is currently offering a lower monthly payment with an interest rate starting from 0.99%, with the offer ending by the end of the quarter, on June 30.
Additionally, the company has a €5,000 trade-in incentive for its smaller sedan, the ET5. On its Dutch website, Nio says, “Looking for an ET7 with fast delivery? Take advantage now of an attractive purchase price for an ET7 from stock. Want to trade in a car? Then you will temporarily receive up to €5,000 when purchasing an ET5. These offers are valid while supplies last, until June 30, 2025. Cannot be combined with other promotions.”
Over the first four months of 2025, Nio has registered 41 vehicles in the Netherlands. In comparison, the company sold 233 EVs in the country over the whole of 2024.
Nio offers five fully electric models in the Netherlands, including three SUVs — the EL6, EL7 and EL8 — and two sedans, the ET5 and ET7. The brand is also promoting its battery swapping infrastructure, with a discounted charging and swapping rate of €0.29 per kilowatt-hour, made permanent in March after initially being introduced as a temporary offer in January. The rate reflects a 34% reduction from the previous €0.44 standard.
Globally, the Nio brand sold 19,269 vehicles in April, increasing both sequentially (from 10,219) and year over year (from 15,620).
Hybrid vehicles represented nearly half of overall sales (49.1%/ 13,329 units), with fully electric vehicles following with 33.9% market share and 9,206 units.
Kia led the Dutch overall vehicle market in March with 3,096 units (up from 2,859 registrations in March). The company’s EV3, Niro and Picanto ranked among the top 4 best selling cars in the market last month.
