- Nio ES9 pre-sales starting price is 31% lower than the ET9 sedan, attempting to attach a value-for-money label to a high-priced model.
- The official launch of the ES9 is expected in late May, with initial customer deliveries slated to begin on June 1.
Nio Inc has started pre-sales for its new flagship SUV (sport utility vehicle), the ES9, at a price significantly lower than the ET9 sedan equipped with similar technologies, seeking to replicate the success of the ES8 in the higher-end market.
The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker detailed the ES9 at a technology launch event in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on Thursday, announcing a pre-sales starting price of 528,000 yuan ($77,230) including the battery pack.
Although the price is high for the Chinese market, it will likely be seen as good value, as it is 31% lower than the ET9's current starting price of 768,000 yuan.
Furthermore, as is customary in the Chinese market, a model's official launch price is typically further reduced from its pre-sales price.
The pre-sales of the ES9 appears to continue Nio's strategy with the ES8 — lowering costs to offer advanced technologies to consumers at prices significantly lower than a few years ago.
The ET9, launched in December 2024, is equipped with Nio's latest technologies, including the SkyRide chassis system and the in-house developed Shenji NX9031 autonomous driving chip. The electric sedan, with a starting price of 768,000 yuan, has been seen as the pricing anchor for the ES9.
Similarly, prior to the launch of the third-generation ES8 SUV in September 2025, its predecessor served as a pricing benchmark. The third-generation ES8 SUV ultimately had a starting price of 406,800 yuan, representing a 26.83% reduction compared to its predecessor with a battery pack of the same capacity.
This strategy brought immense success to the ES8, making it Nio's best-selling model over the past six months despite its high price.
As of April 3, the third-generation ES8 delivered its 90,000th unit, just 195 days after deliveries began.
The official launch of the ES9 is expected in late May, with initial customer deliveries slated to begin on June 1.
The first batch of display cars for the full-size electric SUV has now arrived at Nio's retail stores across China to attract more attention from potential consumers.
Nio plans to officially showcase the flagship model, which boasts a length of 5,365 millimeters, to the public at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show opening later this month.
Ahead of the debut of its largest SUV, Nio's shares in Hong Kong trading climbed to a five-month high today.
The Nio ES9 is offered in three variants during the pre-sales, all of which are six-seat models, with starting prices including the battery pack at 528,000 yuan, 588,000 yuan, and 658,000 yuan, respectively.
If consumers opt for the BaaS (battery as a service) rental program, the starting prices drop to 420,000 yuan, 480,000 yuan, and 550,000 yuan, respectively.
Similar to the ET9, the ES9 is equipped with Nio's latest generation of core research and development achievements, including the in-house developed 5-nanometer Shenji NX9031 driving assistance chip.
The model also features the SkyRide chassis system and a 15.6-inch AMOLED floating center console screen with the built-in SkyOS vehicle operating system.
The flagship SUV is powered by a front and rear dual-motor system, achieving a combined maximum output of 520 kilowatts and accelerating from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in just 4.3 seconds.
The new vehicle is equipped with a 102-kilowatt-hour battery pack, capable of providing the large EV with a pure electric range of up to 620 kilometers.
It is also equipped with rear-wheel steering technology, giving this large SUV the turning radius and agility of the Firefly EV, which is Nio Inc's smallest model with a length of just 4,003 mm.
($1 = 6.8336 yuan)
