Nio‘s co-founder and President Qin Lihong announced that the brand is planning to launch the third-generation of its entry-level SUV in the third quarter of 2027.
The executive had previously said that the cheaper 5- and 6- series would be released next year, without mentioning a specific quarter.
The entry-level lineup includes the ET5 sedan, its stationg wagon variant ET5 Touring, and the ES6 and EC6 SUVs.
“When the [revamped] ES6 comes out, we believe it will probably be the most popular model in our third-generation lineup,” he stated, adding that “after all, as a mid-size SUV, it has the widest appeal.”
According to Lihong, some people prefer smaller-sized vehicles, as opposed to Nio‘s current best-seller, the all-new ES8.
The company’s President admitted that he’s “heard feedback from some friends that their families are smaller, or especially female users feel that the ES8 is a bit too large.”
The three-row SUV debuted last September, with Nio receiving over 100,000 orders for the model due to its lower-than-expected price.
Nio is expected to maintain this aggressive pricing strategy for upcoming launches as EV price war continues in the Chinese market.
Gen 3 Design Language
Speaking about the upcoming third-gen ES6, Qin Lihong said that, both technically and in terms of design, “it will be similar to our overall third-generation lineup.”
He exemplified this with the ES8 model, which the executive said represents the idea of the Gen 3 design.
“To give an example, the ES8 is a typical representation of the third-generation design,” he stated.
Lihong added that its flagship executive sedan, the ET9, “because it was developed earlier, uses third-generation technology, but its exterior design isn’t fully in line with the complete third-generation look.”
In January, ET9 sales dropped to their lowest since launch, registering only 59 vehicles.
ES6 Sales
Despite selling ten times more, the ES6 also saw a sales plunge last month — it represented 982 vehicles out of the total 27,186 delivered by the Group, its lowest result in more than a year.
The ES6 was originally launched in 2018 and was first revamped in 2023.
Alongside the ET5 sedan, the ET5T station wagon and the EC6 SUV, the model saw minor upgrades being introduced in mid-2025.
The pricing of the ES6 remained unchanged at 338,000 yuan ($49,400), lowering to 268,000 yuan ($39,200) if opting for Nio‘s Battery as a Service (BaaS) subscription.
In September — four months after the most recent iterations were launched — Lihong admitted that the brand’s updated models had not met expectations.
“Objectively, compared to the ES8, our other models face more challenges in the short term, for various reasons,” he stated. “We still need to work harder on this.”
Late last year, Nio introduced a commemorative edition of the ES6 as it reached the 300,000-unit production milestone.
It was priced slightly (3.5%) above the standard iteration.
Upcoming SUVs
After facing weaker-than-expected demand for its sedans throughout 2024 and 2025, Nio opted to focus on SUV models in 2026.
Last month, the executive announced that the new iteration of the five-seat ES7 will debut in the third quarter.
Sales for the model were discontinued in China in early 2025 due to low demand.
The Shanghai-based EV maker is also set to unveil the large ES9 — which will replace the ES8 as its flagship SUV — on April 10, with deliveries starting from June 1.
Other launches include the Onvo L80, a five-seat variant of the recently introduced Onvo L90.
The L90 initially achieved strong sales, delivering over 10,000 units per month in its first three months on the market, before ultimately plunging to a 1,500-unit low in January.
