NIO, XPEV, LI Stocks Rally Pre-Market On Delivery Rebound In March – Even As Tesla Braces For Slower Quarter

• Nio delivered 83,465 vehicles in the first quarter, beating its own estimates between 80,000 and 83,000 vehicles.
• Li Auto reported a 12% increase in March deliveries to 41,053 vehicles.
• Tesla is reportedly expected to report lower first-quarter deliveries compared to the December quarter.

Chinese EV makers reported strong sequential delivery growth in March, rebounding sharply after February sales were disrupted by the extended Lunar New Year holiday slowdown.

While shares of Nio Inc (NIO) and Xpeng (XPEV) gained more than 2% each in pre-market trading on Wednesday, Li Auto (LI) stock jumped nearly 5%.

Nio’s Q1 Deliveries Beat Estimates

Nio’s first-quarter (Q1) delivery figures beat its own estimates. The carmaker delivered 35,486 vehicles in March 2026, up 136% from a year earlier, led by 22,490 units from its NIO brand, along with 6,877 ONVO vehicles and 6,119 FIREFLY cars. Its Q1 deliveries surged 98.3% to 83,465 units, while cumulative deliveries surpassed 1.08 million as of March 31, 2026.

Earlier this month, the company guided for quarterly deliveries of 80,000 to 83,000 vehicles, implying growth of roughly 90% to 97%. Based on that outlook, it needed to deliver at least 32,021 vehicles in March.

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits flipped to ‘bullish’ from ‘bearish’ a day earlier. NIO was also among the top trending tickers on the platform at the time of writing.

Li’s March Deliveries Up 12%

Li Auto reported strong March 2026 deliveries of 41,053 vehicles, up from 36,674 units in the previous corresponding period. Li said the growth was supported by improved production, with the Li i6 surpassing 24,000 monthly deliveries after earlier production bottlenecks were resolved.

Earlier this month, the automaker said it is focused on future growth and that its upgraded Li L9 is set to launch in the second quarter of 2026, featuring improvements to the powertrain and autonomous driving. Li Auto also showcased its next-generation AI-driven driving technology at NVIDIA GTC 2026.

Meanwhile, the company continues expanding its retail and service network and recently approved a $1 billion share buyback program running through March 2027.

Retail sentiment for LI on Stocktwits turned ‘bullish’ from ‘neutral’ a day earlier.

XPENG’s Deliveries See Sharp Downturn From Last Year

XPeng’s March deliveries came in at 27,415 units, marking an 80% increase from the previous month. However, deliveries were lower compared to 33,205 units in March last year. For the first quarter of 2026, the company delivered a total of 62,682 vehicles, down from 94,008 units a year earlier.

Last month, XPeng unveiled a three-year strategy for Latin America and officially entered the Mexican market. It plans to introduce pure electric models in 2027.

Retail sentiment for XPEV remained in the ‘bearish’ territory over the past 24 hours.

All Eyes On Tesla Q1 Deliveries

Meanwhile, Tesla is expected to report lower first-quarter deliveries compared to the December quarter amid rising competition in key markets. According to a Reuters poll, the EV maker projected to deliver about 368,900 vehicles, down 11.8% sequentially but up 9.6% year over year.

TSLA shares have dropped nearly 19% so far this year, compared to XPEV’s 17% decline. Meanwhile, NIO stock has gained more than 13% while LI has inched up 3% in 2026.

Read also: Why Did AIIO Stock Slump 20% In Pre-Market Today?

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