- Starting Wednesday, test drives for the all-new ES8 are available at over 500 stores across 152 cities in China.
- Nio will officially launch the third-generation ES8 at Nio Day 2025 on September 20.
Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) began offering test drives for its third-generation ES8 in China today, with the electric SUV (sport utility vehicle) set for official launch in 10 days.
Starting at 10:00 am Beijing time on September 10, test drives of the all-new ES8 are available at over 500 stores across 152 cities nationwide, the electric vehicle (EV) maker announced today.
"You have to try it to know what the ultimate choice in premium three-row SUVs is," Nio wrote on Weibo.
The company will host Nio Day 2025 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang on September 20, with the main event running from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm, when the third-generation ES8 will be officially launched.
Nio debuted the third-generation ES8 on August 21 and began pre-sales for the large SUV, offering significant upgrades while pricing it notably lower than its predecessor.
The third-generation ES8 comes standard with a 100-kWh battery pack, starting at RMB 416,800 ($58,530) during presales, including the battery pack.
This represents a RMB 139,200 ($25,040) reduction from the older 100-kWh ES8's starting price of RMB 556,000.
Under the BaaS (Battery as a Service) battery rental plan, the third-generation ES8 starts at RMB 308,800, lower than the RMB 428,000 BaaS starting price for the older 100-kWh ES8.
Despite the aggressive pricing, Nio management previously said the new ES8 still generates gross margin due to significantly lower costs compared to its predecessor.
The new ES8 has drawn considerable traction for Nio. Over the past weekend -- the third since pre-sales began -- Nio showrooms continued to see high visitor traffic for the model, the company said Monday.
The ES8 is currently Nio's flagship SUV, though its position will be replaced next year by the higher-end ES9.
Yesterday, spy photos of the ES9 surfaced for the first time on Chinese social media, revealing it to be larger than the all-new ES8.
($1 = RMB 7.1215)
