Nio has been spotted testing its upcoming ES9 SUV in China for the second time, signaling progress on what will become the electric-vehicle maker’s largest and most expensive sport utility model.
The heavily camouflaged prototypes were seen in China this Monday, with few design details visible.
The ES9 is expected to measure around 5,400 millimeters in length — longer than the recently launched ES8, which measures 5,280 millimeters — and will serve as the SUV counterpart to Nio’s ET9 executive sedan.
As with the ET9, the ES9 is expected to feature steer-by-wire and use Nio‘s latest Operating System Cedar.
The SUV is also planned to feature two Shenji NX 9031 intelligent driving chips and the SkyRide chassis, as seen in the ET9.
The model is set to become Nio’s new flagship SUV when it debuts in the first half of 2026, company president Lihong Qin said during a user event in Shenzhen last May.
The SUV follows the ET9 sedan, which began deliveries across China in late March after its unveiling at Nio Day 2024 in Guangzhou.
The ET9, which began deliveries in late March, is Nio’s flagship sedan, starting at 788,000 yuan ($110,700) including the battery pack.
The sedan was positioned to rival high-end luxury EVs such as the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV.
Nio delivered fewer than 100 units of the ET9 in August for the second consecutive month, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association.
The model recorded 92 deliveries in August, an 8.2% rise from July’s 85 units, when registrations plunged 72.3% from 305 in June.
Deutsche Bank analyst Wang Bin said in December that the brokerage expected Nio to sell about 1,500 ET9 units per month, calling it “an elegant design with advanced technologies.”
The latest spy shots come about a month after the ES9 was seen on public roads for the first time in early September.
Nio is expected to take a more aggressive pricing approach with the SUV than with the ET9, which starts at more than 800,000 yuan ($110,000).
