Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Nio has submitted regulatory filings for its next-generation ES8 SUV, revealing larger dimensions and advanced hardware upgrades as the company prepares for a formal launch later this year.
The updated ES8, listed under product model number NAL6533BSEVE1, appears in the latest vehicle catalog released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which is now open for public feedback through June 27. This catalog represents the final regulatory hurdle for models before official sale approval in the country.
The new ES8 will offer both six- and seven-seat configurations and measures 5,280 mm in length, 2,010 mm in width, and 1,800 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,250 mm. These figures mark a noticeable increase in size over the second-generation model, which measured 5,099 mm long with a 3,070 mm wheelbase.
Images accompanying the filing show an additional LiDAR sensor on each side of the vehicle, complementing the existing roof-mounted unit. The model features dual motors—180 kW in the front and 340 kW in the rear—developed by Nio’s XPT division, and is powered by CATL-supplied ternary lithium batteries.
“Users can expect the updated ES8 to begin deliveries between August and September,” Nio co-founder and president Qin Lihong said at a user meetup in Shenzhen on May 30, adding that the model will remain the company’s flagship SUV until the launch of the higher-end ES9 in 2026.
The third-generation ES8 was first teased at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show on April 23, when Nio founder and CEO William Li confirmed a Q4 debut.
The ES8 was Nio’s first production vehicle when it debuted in December 2017. The second generation followed in 2022, based on the NT 2.0 platform. Its current starting price is RMB 498,000 ($69,390), inclusive of the battery.