- Nio‘s third-generation ES8 SUV has been spotted undergoing road tests, with its fall launch approaching.
- Nio is expected to launch its new flagship SUV, the ES9, in the first half of 2026.
Nio’s (NYSE: NIO) third-generation ES8 SUV (sport utility vehicle) has been spotted undergoing road tests, with its fall release not far off.
Car blogger @德卤爱开车 shared several spy photos of what is believed to be the new ES8 on Weibo today, saying that the model looks better in real life than in its regulatory filing photos.
The new ES8 may be targeting higher sales, so it may not use Nio’s top-of-the-line technologies, as there are more advanced 9-series models, according to the blogger.
Nio announced on July 3 that it would move its annual flagship event, Nio Day, from the end of the year to the fall, partly to capitalize on the fourth quarter’s peak sales season.
The company will unveil its luxury three-row flagship SUV, the third-generation ES8, at the event, Nio said at the time.
The third-generation Nio ES8 was listed in China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology regulatory filing catalog last month, showing that it is larger than its predecessor.
The SUV, which comes in six- and seven-seat configurations, measures 5,280 mm in length, 2,010 mm in width, and 1,800 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,250 mm.
Its predecessor had dimensions of 5,099 mm in length, 1,989 mm in width, and 1,750 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,070 mm.
The ES8 is Nio’s first mass-produced model, with the first generation launched on December 16, 2017, at Nio Day 2017.
The second generation ES8 was rolled out on December 24, 2022, at Nio Day 2022, transitioning to the NT 2.0 platform.
The model is currently Nio’s flagship SUV, with a starting price of RMB 498,000 ($69,400) including the battery pack. However, it may be replaced by the more premium ES9.
Nio planned to launch its new flagship SUV, the ES9, in the first half of 2026, its co-founder and president Qin Lihong said at a user meet-up event in Shenzhen on May 30.
In the first half of this year, 3,109 ES8s were delivered, down 29.71 percent year-on-year, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.
($1 = RMB 7.1763)
