New York, May 27, 2026, 13:04 (EDT)
NIO Inc. shares were up 8.6% at $5.71 Wednesday afternoon in New York, after the Chinese EV company rolled out its new ES9 flagship SUV and brought on basketball player Yao Ming as the face of the launch. Volume topped 60 million shares, with the stock hitting an intraday high of $5.79.
NIO’s launch is in focus as investors look at it as a test for the company’s turnaround story. NIO is under pressure to show new upscale models can boost deliveries and margins. The company has pushed for fast growth but spent heavily as it took on tough competition in China’s electric-vehicle market.
NIO launched the ES9 in Beijing on Wednesday, picking Yao to front the model as it aims for more recognition overseas. According to Reuters, NIO says the ES9 is China’s largest battery-electric SUV, with space for six people and 13 suitcases. The SUV runs on NIO’s Shenji NX9031 self-driving chip and its homegrown operating system.
NIO CEO William Li told Reuters last month the growth of Chinese EV makers is a “significant opportunity” to shake up the high-end and luxury auto segment. That’s NIO’s pitch to investors now: the company says it wants not just higher volumes but a better product mix and a stronger premium brand. Reuters
ES9 pricing starts at 498,000 yuan, or 390,000 yuan with NIO’s Battery-as-a-Service plan, which lets buyers lease the battery instead of buying it. The first ES9 variant is set for deliveries from May 28, and another version will follow in July, CarNewsChina reported.
NIO’s Q1 results add more detail to the stock action. The EV maker said it delivered 83,465 vehicles for the quarter, up 98.3% on the year but down 33.1% from the prior quarter. Revenue came in at 25.53 billion yuan. Vehicle margin improved to 18.8%.
NIO CEO Li said in the earnings release the company was in an “intensive new product launch and delivery cycle.” The company guided second-quarter deliveries between 110,000 and 115,000 vehicles, looking for revenue of 32.78 billion yuan to 34.44 billion yuan. NIO Inc.
NIO CFO Stanley Yu Qu said the EV maker will “further enhance cost and operational efficiency” after reporting first-quarter adjusted net profit of 43.5 million yuan. The company still logged a net loss by standard accounting, though. NIO Inc.
Competitive pressure remains high. Reuters said BYD’s Denza premium line brought in British actor Daniel Craig for its latest global campaign, while EV media compares the ES9 to big premium SUVs like Li Auto’s L9. NIO is trying to set itself apart with battery swapping, offering a new battery in minutes instead of waiting at a charging station.
NIO jumped in afternoon trading while Li Auto and XPeng’s U.S. shares slipped, pointing to a move tied to NIO’s model launch and delivery hopes. The action suggested investors were picking NIO instead of making a sector-wide bet on Chinese EV stocks.
The risk is clear. Should ES9 orders not lead to steady deliveries, or if the price war in China pushes NIO to make deeper cuts, the stock may lose its recent gains. NIO’s first-quarter deliveries dropped from the fourth quarter. Battery swapping is still unproven outside China, where there are fewer networks and new consumer patterns.
So far, NIO is getting a nod from the market for its launch. Now traders will watch if the ES9 plus new ONVO lines help hit Q2 goals, all without undoing the margin gains that set this round of earnings apart from older recoveries.
