NIO's trajectory is quietly shifting. The Chinese EV maker has finally breached the 40,000-unit monthly delivery club, with October figures hitting 40,397 vehicles—nearly double year-over-year. Both the NIO and Onvo brands contributed over 17,000 units each, signaling a robust rebound after a first-half adjustment period. NIO is now accelerating back into the growth fast lane, reclaiming its position among the top-tier new energy vehicle (NEV) players.

Market sentiment toward NIO has long been polarized. While loyal fans champion the brand, skeptics fixate on its recurring losses. Even Chairman William Li admitted, "If NIO struggles, our users would feel embarrassed." Now, NIO is proving its mettle—thanks largely to flagship models like the new ES8 and Onvo L90.

The Onvo L90, with 22,000 deliveries in two months, set a record for the fastest-selling large pure-electric SUV, mainstreaming the three-row EV segment. But the new ES8’s performance is the real game-changer. On October 31, NIO delivered its 10,000th new ES8, achieving the fastest 10,000-unit milestone for any pure-electric model priced above ¥400,000. The ES8 now leads its category in sales.

Post-August, NIO’s deliveries charted a steep climb—from 20,000 to 40,000 units—fueled by the L90 and ES8. This momentum shows no signs of slowing: Executives recently revealed ES8 production will surge 70% month-over-month in November, potentially propelling December deliveries past 50,000 units.

This belated breakthrough is reshaping China’s premium EV landscape. Investors love a comeback story, and Li is determined to prove NIO’s ship has decisively turned.

**Reclaiming Center Stage** "New ES8 demand exceeded expectations. Current orders are backlogged until April 2025—Q1 capacity is fully booked," Li disclosed at an internal meeting. He noted the flagship SUV’s order-to-lock conversion rate has significantly improved and pledged 15,000 monthly ES8 deliveries by December. Executives later raised the bar, targeting even higher output.

While the Onvo L90 demonstrated NIO’s mass-market appeal, the ES8’s "10,000 units in 40 days" cemented its dominance in the ¥400,000+ premium EV space—a segment where few NEV players have succeeded. Competitors like the Aito M8/M9, Mercedes E-Class, and Audi A6L traditionally rule this price bracket, but the ES8 is breaking through, resolving NIO’s historic tension between premium positioning and volume growth.

At launch, the ES8’s popularity crashed NIO’s app under a flood of orders. Test drives drew 150,000 sign-ups in 10 days, with queues stretching late into the night. Online, fans upgraded Li’s nickname from "Brother Bin" to "Bin the Great," reflecting the model’s impact.

Measuring 5,280 x 2,010 x 1,800 mm, the ES8 is China’s largest pure-electric SUV, outstripping rivals like the BMW X7 and Mercedes GLS450. Its integrated powertrain freed up a 230L front trunk and a cavernous rear cargo space, enabling "6 passengers + 12 suitcases" practicality.

Industry observers note the ES8 has evolved from a business-centric flagship to a "second living room," challenging mainstream MPVs. This shift to "family-commercial versatility" reflects NIO’s pragmatic pivot.

Critically, the ES8’s features aren’t just spec-sheet fillers—they’re designed to enhance user experience, marking NIO’s maturation beyond hardware stacking. The clincher? A sub-¥300,000 entry price under the Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) plan, slashing over ¥120,000 versus its predecessor and democratizing premium three-row EVs.

This "more-for-less" strategy isn’t mere price warfare but stems from vertical integration. The ES8’s in-house NX9031 autonomous driving chip replaced four NVIDIA Orin-X units, saving ¥10,000 per vehicle. Lightweighting, scaled battery costs, and 65% parts reuse on the NT3.0 platform further boosted margins.

"Early tech bets are now paying off as industries scale," Li explained. This "lower prices, higher margins" approach—unattainable for rivals reliant on external suppliers—has made the ES8 NIO’s halo product, showcasing systemic strengths beyond its famed customer service.

**The Q4 Decider** "I’m tired of being asked, ‘When will NIO go bankrupt?’" Li recently vented. Years of losses and volatility tested his long-term vision, but the tide is turning.

President Qin Lihong framed 2025 as NIO’s "payoff year" for R&D and infrastructure bets, making Q4 profitability non-negotiable. With the large three-row EV market tipping toward pure-electric (now 70% of NEV sales vs. 50% last year), NIO’s endurance is yielding dividends.

The ES8 isn’t just NIO’s first production model—it’s the icon that once crowned China’s premium EV sales and, crucially, rallied early adopters to save the company in its darkest hour. Today, it must anchor both volume and brand elevation.

In auto manufacturing, product mix trumps sheer volume. High-margin models like the ES8 (NIO’s "Pro Max" equivalent) are profit levers. Li projects Q4 gross margins at 16%-17% if ES8 and L90 sales hit targets, with breakeven achievable at 150,000 quarterly deliveries.

Thus, November’s 70% production ramp is pivotal. "Every extra ES8 delivered boosts our profitability odds," Li stressed. With shares doubling since August’s low, investor faith is reviving—not just in NIO’s monetizing long-game, but in its power to reshape the sector.

"The hardest entrepreneurial lesson is knowing what to hold onto and what to change," Li reflected. NIO’s decade of R&D, vertical integration, and user-centricity is culminating in 2025’s inflection point. The ES8’s success is his ultimate vindication.