Nio says older models being phased out as planned, denies rumors of sales halt

Nio said the 2022 ES8, ES6, and EC6 are no longer being custom-built, but a small number of show cars and existing cars are still available for sale.

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

Rumors of Nio (NYSE: NIO) discontinuing older models sparked much discussion yesterday. Now, the company has clarified.

In a response shared with CnEVPost today, an Nio spokesperson said previous media reports were false, but that the company's older models are indeed on track to exit the market.

"The three older products -- ES8, ES6 and EC6 -- are about to see their transitions and we are preparing for the model switch," the spokesperson said.

As a result, the 2022 ES8, ES6 and EC6 are no longer in custom production, but a few show cars and existing cars are still available for sale, the spokesperson told CnEVPost.

Some local auto media reported yesterday that Nio issued an urgent internal notice that all first-generation products -- the ES8, ES6 and EC6 based on the NT 1.0 platform -- will be no longer available for sale starting February 16.

According to these reports, these older models will be withdrawn from Nio's showrooms nationwide and test cars will be retired.

All of Nio's current ES8, ES6, EC6 inventory and show cars will be sold to one company or entity, which one is not yet known, these reports say.

The company will next go all out to push sales of models based on the NT 2.0 platform, including the EC7, ET7, and ET5, and get the OTD (Order To Delivery) cycle down to 3 weeks, according to these reports.

It is worth noting that Nio App continues to show expected delivery dates for some of the older models, although they are unchanged from the previous ones.

Nio App is currently showcasing eight models, including the ES8, ES6, and EC6 based on the NT 1.0 platform, and the new ES8, ES7, EC7, ET7, and ET5 based on the NT 2.0 platform.

The EC7 coupe SUV and the all-new ES8 were launched at Nio Day 2022 held on December 24, 2022, and deliveries are expected to begin in May and June 2023, respectively.

Wait times for the older ES8 and EC6 have stopped showing since the end of last year. ES7 has a wait time of about 3 weeks, ES6 about 2 weeks, ET7 about 3 weeks, and ET5 2-3 weeks, all consistent with the last time CnEVPost checked.

NIO rumored to stop selling all NT 1.0 models starting Feb 16, new model deliveries likely to be moved up