NEW YORK, Jan 3, 2026, 18:30 ET — Market closed
- NIO shares ended Friday up 0.78% at $5.14.
- A U.S. filing showed record December and fourth-quarter deliveries, with 2025 volumes up 46.9%.
- Focus shifts to mid-March earnings timing and U.S. data due next week.
NIO Inc. shares closed higher on Friday after the Chinese electric-vehicle maker reported record deliveries for December and the fourth quarter. The U.S.-listed stock ended up 0.78% at $5.14.
The delivery update is one of the first hard data points for China’s EV demand as investors reset expectations for 2026. For NIO, deliveries track vehicles handed over to customers and often move the stock faster than quarterly revenue.
The news hit as global EV sentiment turned cautious after Tesla’s annual deliveries fell for a second year and China’s BYD overtook it in full-year EV sales, Reuters reported. “The decline in deliveries was not a major surprise, given the market had already priced in weaker demand after U.S. EV tax credits ended,” said Seth Goldstein, a senior equity research analyst at Morningstar. Reuters
In a Jan. 2 6-K filing — a report foreign companies submit to the U.S. securities regulator — NIO said it delivered 48,135 vehicles in December, up 54.6% from a year earlier, and 124,807 vehicles in the fourth quarter, up 71.7%. It said full-year 2025 deliveries rose 46.9% to 326,028, lifting cumulative deliveries to 997,592 vehicles; the December tally included 31,897 NIO-branded vehicles, 9,154 under ONVO and 7,084 under FIREFLY.
NIO traded between $5.08 and $5.38 on Friday and was quoted around $5.16 in after-hours trading, according to Investing.com data.
The move tracked gains across U.S.-listed Chinese EV peers after a run of December delivery releases. Li Auto reported December deliveries of 44,246 vehicles, Barron’s reported.
U.S. stocks started 2026 with modest gains, with the Dow and S&P 500 snapping a four-session losing streak, although Tesla slid after its delivery report.
For NIO, the delivery momentum shifts attention to whether higher volumes translate into better vehicle margins and smaller losses when it reports quarterly results. Investors will also watch pricing discipline in China’s crowded EV market.
Before U.S. markets reopen on Monday, traders will watch whether NIO can hold the $5 area, a level that has acted as support in recent weeks, according to Schaeffer’s Investment Research. The stock’s 52-week range is roughly $3.02 to $8.02, Investing.com data showed.
Earnings calendars flag NIO’s next results around mid-March, though the company has not confirmed a date; MarketScreener lists March 18 as a projected release, while Investing.com shows March 19. Investors will be listening for commentary on gross margin and the pace of new-model rollouts.
Macro data could also steer risk appetite for more volatile EV stocks next week, with the ISM services index due on Jan. 7 and the U.S. employment report due on Jan. 9, according to Investing.com and the Labor Department’s schedule.
