Nio Stock Jumps In HK: ES9 Launch Buzz Drowns Out Fresh UBS Sell-Down

• Nio confirmed that the ES9 will officially launch on May 27, slightly ahead of earlier expectations for a June rollout.
• The ES9 is a key premium EV model for Nio as the company battles slowing demand and intense competition in China’s high-end EV market.
• Pre-sales for the ES9 opened at 528,000 yuan with the battery included, or 420,000 yuan under Nio’s battery subscription model.

Shares of Nio, Inc. (NIO) jumped 1% in Hong Kong trading on Thursday as investors piled into the company’s upcoming ES9 flagship SUV launch, overshadowing fresh disclosures showing that UBS slashed its once-massive stake in the Chinese EV maker.

U.S.-listed shares of Nio are headed for their third straight week of weekly losses. 

Nio Fast-Tracks ES9 SUV Rollout

Nio confirmed that the ES9 will officially launch on May 27, with customer deliveries beginning immediately on the same day. The timeline came in slightly ahead of earlier expectations of a June rollout. The EV firm also said customers will be able to begin test-driving the ES9 from May 11, CnEVPost noted.

The ES9 is the company’s latest attempt to boost its position in China’s crowded premium EV market, where pricing pressure and slowing consumer demand have weighed heavily on several automakers. Pre-sales for the SUV opened last month at 528,000 yuan ($77,457) with the battery included, while buyers opting for Nio’s battery subscription model can purchase the vehicle starting at 420,000 yuan. Investors are also watching for a potential reduction in the final launch price, a common strategy among Chinese EV manufacturers.

To increase visibility ahead of launch, Nio has started a 10,000-kilometer cross-country endurance drive for the ES9 using its highway battery-swap infrastructure. The route spans multiple provinces and is expected to conclude at a new battery swap location in Dunhuang. Nio has highlighted the ES9 and the upcoming Onvo L80 as models that will stabilize deliveries in the second quarter.

The ES9 carries several of Nio’s latest in-house systems, including the Shenji NX9031 5-nanometer assisted-driving chip, SkyRide chassis tech and the SkyOS software platform paired with a 15.6-inch Amoled floating display.

Nio appears to be positioning the SUV as a more accessible premium flagship compared with the ET9 sedan. Even the top-end ES9 variant with the full SkyRide active suspension package starts below the ET9’s pricing.

UBS Slashes Nio Stake Again

While enthusiasm around the ES9 improved sentiment, fresh filings revealed that UBS sharply cut its stake in Nio once again during the first quarter. The Swiss lender disclosed holdings of 12.35 million Nio shares as of March 31, down nearly 50% from the previous quarter. The stake was valued at $74.45 million.

The latest reduction extends a prolonged retreat that began after UBS built one of the largest institutional stakes in Nio during 2025. At its peak, the bank held nearly 75 million shares of the EV maker. Since then, its stake has plunged by over 83%, removing UBS from Nio’s list of top institutional shareholders by share count.

The change has also become visible in UBS’ derivatives. The bank reported put exposure of 3.19 million Nio shares, exceeding call exposure of about 2.81 million shares. It marked the second consecutive quarter in which UBS’s bearish derivatives exposure outweighed its bullish positioning, according to a report by EV.

How Do Retail Traders Feel About Nio?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for Nio was ‘bearish’ amid ‘normal’ message volume.

One user said, “$NIO will flight Soon and shorts won’t have time to cover”

A separate user flagged, “Another IDEAL window to BUY BACK SHARES missed”

U.S.-listed shares of Nio have risen 51% over the past year.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

Read Next: SpaceX IPO Sparks Alarm: Nearly 2M-Strong Union Warns Of ‘Overvalued, High-Risk Bet’ To Markets Regulator