Nio reported a sharp year-on-year increase in vehicle deliveries in January, supported by strong demand for its core brand and flagship ES8 sport utility vehicle, even as sales declined significantly from the previous month amid seasonal and policy-related pressures.
The Chinese electric vehicle maker delivered 27,182 vehicles in January, representing a 96.08% increase from a year earlier but a 43.53% decline from December, according to company data. The drop reflects typical seasonal weakness at the start of the year following a year-end sales peak in China’s auto market.
The January performance also came as China began scaling back supportive policies for new energy vehicles, adding pressure across the sector. Nio has previously indicated that demand for some of its newer brands began softening late last year as incentives were reduced, while its main brand showed greater resilience.
Deliveries under the Nio brand reached 20,894 units in January, up 162.78% year on year but down 34.50% from December. The Onvo sub-brand, which targets the family vehicle segment, delivered 3,481 vehicles, falling 41.12% from a year earlier and 61.97% from the previous month. Deliveries of the Firefly small EV brand totaled 2,807 units, down 60.38% month on month.
The company recently marked the delivery of its 60,000th third-generation ES8, only weeks after surpassing the 50,000-unit milestone. The latest-generation ES8 was launched in September 2025 and reached 40,000 cumulative deliveries by the end of December, meeting its full-year target.
To stimulate demand, Nio has rolled out a seven-year low-interest financing plan, aligning with promotional moves by Tesla and other automakers competing in China’s increasingly crowded electric vehicle market.
