NIO Stock Extends Rally On ES9 Debut, CEO Reaffirms 40% To 50% Delivery Growth Target In 2026

• This comes after Nio nearly doubled its first-quarter deliveries, which surged more than 98% year-on-year to 83,465 vehicles.
• The company reported that deliveries during March 2026 more than doubled to 35,486 vehicles, rising 136% year-on-year.
• Li added that Nio is now in its third phase of development, wherein its delivery volume growth rate should rise gradually.

Nio Inc. (NIO) American Depository Receipts (ADRs) gained more than 2% in Monday’s pre-market trade following the pre-sales launch of the ES9 and CEO William Li’s comments about the company’s sales traction this year.

Nio unveiled its next-generation sports utility vehicle (SUV), the ES9 in China last week as it looks to build on the success of the ES8. The stock closed 7% higher on Friday, extending the one-month rally to more than 17%.

Nio’s shares got another boost following CEO William Li’s optimistic outlook about the automaker’s sales growth target in 2026.

What Did Nio CEO Say?

Speaking at the sidelines of the China EV 100 forum over the weekend, Li expressed confidence that Nio will achieve its annual sales growth target of 40% to 50%, according to a report by Sina Tech.

This comes after Nio nearly doubled its first-quarter deliveries, which surged more than 98% year-on-year to 83,465 vehicles. The company reported that deliveries during March 2026 more than doubled to 35,486 vehicles, rising 136% year-on-year.

Li added that Nio is now in its third phase of development, wherein its delivery volume growth rate should rise gradually. He stated that during Nio’s first phase of development, delivery volumes rose consistently at an annual growth rate of nearly 100%, while the second phase saw a growth of 30% to 45%.

Nio Announces ES9 Pricing

Nio announced its latest SUV, the ES9, on Friday as it looks to build on the success of the third-generation ES8.

The ES9 price starts at 528,000 yuan ($77,330), going up to 658,000 for the top trim. Nio will also offer the ES9 under a battery-as-a-service (BaaS) model, with the EV’s price ranging between 420,000 yuan and 550,000 yuan.

This comes at a time when the ES8 is still going strong, with Nio reporting the 80,000th delivery of the car in 181 days of its launch. The ES8 was also the top-selling SUV in the Chinese market for three consecutive months, the company said earlier this month.

How Did Retail Traders React?

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits around Nio trended in the ‘neutral’ territory with message volumes at ‘high’ levels. NIO was among the top trending tickers on the platform at the time of writing.

One user on Stocktwits thinks that Nio’s ES9 will sell “ridiculously well.”

NIO stock is up 18% year-to-date and 85% over the past 12 months. The SPDR Portfolio Emerging Markets ETF (SPEM) is up 35% over the past 12 months, while the Avantis Emerging Markets Equity ETF (AVEM) is up 54%.

Also See: CVLT Stock Hit A 1-Month High Today – What Drove The Rally?

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