Nio Stock Revvs Up Ahead Of Big ES9 SUV Reveal Tonight With Nvidia Stack Shift In Focus — Here’s All You Need To Know

• The company is expected to announce the ES9’s pre-sales price and full technical specifications during the Thursday launch event.
• The ES9 will replace the Nio ES8 as Nio’s flagship SUV, targeting the executive EV segment currently anchored by the Nio ET9 sedan.
• The ES9 introduces Nio’s Shenji NX9031 driver-assist chip, marking a shift away from reliance on Nvidia’s autonomous-driving stack.

U.S.-listed shares of Nio, Inc. (NIO) hit nearly a five-month high on Wednesday ahead of the company’s flagship ES9 SUV technology launch later Thursday, where the EV maker is expected to announce the model’s pre-sales price and full specifications.

Nio’s U.S.-listed stock jumped 4% on Wednesday, snapping two straight sessions of losses. Shares are also up nearly 3% in mid-day Hong Kong trade. 

Nio’s ES9 Replaces ES8 At Top Of Lineup

The ES9 will become Nio’s new full-size flagship SUV, replacing the Nio ES8 at the top of its SUV lineup and targeting the executive EV segment anchored by the Nio ET9 sedan, which starts at about 768,000 yuan ($112,390).

Founder and CEO William Li called the ES9 “the most important product of the year” earlier this month. The model is expected to launch commercially in late May, with deliveries beginning June 1. Display vehicles have already arrived at stores across China ahead of the pricing announcement.

ES9 Signals Shift Away From Nvidia Stack For Nio

The ES9 is expected to debut several of Nio’s latest in-house tech, including the Shenji NX9031 driver-assistance chip, SkyRide intelligent chassis, and the company’s SkyOS operating system.

The introduction of the Shenji chip marks a big step in Nio’s transition away from reliance on Nvidia’s autonomous-driving computing stack toward a vertically integrated software-hardware architecture developed internally.

At 5,365 mm long with a 3,250 mm wheelbase, the ES9 becomes the largest SUV in Nio’s lineup.

The flagship SUV also rides on Nio’s 900-volt platform and integrates steer-by-wire capability, all-wheel steering and fully active suspension into a unified chassis system shared with the ET9. Power comes from a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup producing 520 kilowatts of power and 700 newton-meters of torque, paired with a 102 kilowatt-hour battery pack supplied by CATL offering a driving range of up to 620 kilometers.

Nio’s ES9 Shows Stability In Extreme Conditions

The Thursday tech event follows a rollout that included an interior preview and a media showcase on Wednesday. The configurator is expected to open on May 11, followed by an order lock-in event on May 28.

Ahead of the official reveal, Nio released winter testing footage showing the ES9 operating in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees celsius and completing a 150 km per hour tire blowout stability test. Additional demonstrations comparing the ES9 with smaller vehicles navigating narrow roads suggested the full-size SUV could deliver maneuverability closer to that of a compact model despite its larger footprint.

How Do Retail Traders Feel About Nio?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for Nio slipped to ‘bearish’ over the past day from ‘bullish’ levels a week ago amid  a 48% jump in 24-hour message volumes.

One user said, “love this move but always worried about dilution.  Let’s hope they can let this run!”

However, a separate bearish user said Nio has “been in the range of $3 to $7 since then I don't know if it will ever actually break out but it's amazing it continues to attract believers”

Nio’s U.S.-listed stock has more than doubled over the past year.

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

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