William Li, founder, chairman, and CEO of Nio Inc, has reaffirmed the company's target of achieving profitability in the fourth quarter during a recent internal meeting with employees. He called for their full commitment to this objective over the next roughly 70 days.

The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer held the internal meeting on the afternoon of October 17, where Li outlined his personal Vision Action Upgrade (VAU) for the fourth quarter of 2025, as reported by local media outlet 21jingji.

The purpose of the meeting was explicitly to motivate the team for the final push toward achieving profitability in Q4, according to an employee who attended the meeting.

This meeting represents Nio's smaller quarterly kickoff, attended by mid-to-senior management at designated levels or above. At the beginning of each quarter, Li reviews the previous quarter's VAU outcomes and discusses the upcoming quarter's VAU goals with heads of business units.

Throughout the past year, Li has repeatedly emphasized that Nio aims to achieve its first quarterly profit in Q4. During the earnings call on September 2, Nio's management indicated that the breakeven target for the fourth quarter is based on non-GAAP standards.

Non-GAAP standards are financial metrics customized by U.S.-listed companies in addition to GAAP, enabling them to exclude one-time or non-recurring items, thus providing a better representation of the company's core profitability.

In the latest meeting, Li stressed that meeting the Q4 profitability goal is paramount, establishing it as the top priority in his personal fourth-quarter VAU, according to the report by 21jingji.

"This is the test our entire team must pass to demonstrate our operational efficiency and business capabilities," Li stated.

He underscored that achieving this goal is not just for appearances, but is essential for Nio's long-term sustainable development.

Li urged employees to secure as many orders as possible for each model in Q4, noting that the entire industry could see a decline in demand in the first quarter of next year due to the expiration of China's purchase tax incentives at year-end.

"If we can harvest more in advance this year, our operational pressure will be reduced," he added.

This fourth quarter is particularly crucial—every day counts, and no one can afford to be complacent, Li reminded attendees.

"With less than two and a half months left until the end of the fourth quarter, everyone must get energized," he said.

Li also highlighted that demand for the newly launched ES8 has surpassed initial expectations, expressing confidence that the SUV will meet its December production target of 15,000 units.

Nio officially debuted the third-generation ES8 at Nio Day 2025 on September 20, with deliveries starting the following day on September 21. Customers who order the SUV now will not receive delivery until at least April 2026.