Gasgoo Munich- NIO delivered its 70,000th all-new ES8 in Wenzhou on Feb. 27. Just weeks earlier, on Feb. 1, cumulative deliveries had only crossed the 60,000 threshold. That means the flagship SUV added 10,000 units in under a month — a clear acceleration in its delivery cadence.
A look back at the timeline reveals the all-new ES8's ability to scale up quickly following its launch.
Cumulative deliveries topped 20,000 units on Nov. 29, 2025 — just 70 days after sales began. The momentum continued: the 30,000 mark fell on Dec. 18 (Day 89), followed by 40,000 on Dec. 29 (Day 100). By Jan. 18, 2026, 120 days in, the model had surpassed 50,000 deliveries.
Image Source: NIO
As NIO's first mass-produced model, the ES8 debuted its first generation in 2017. Priced between 448,000 yuan and 548,000 yuan, it pioneered the domestic premium segment. The second generation arrived in late 2022, upgraded to the NT2.0 platform with expanded dimensions and a 6-seat-only configuration.
The current iteration, representing the culmination of three generations, shifts the R&D focus to core experiences that users perceive most frequently. That precise, mature product definition is a direct reflection of its fierce market competitiveness.
The success of the all-new ES8 can be attributed to a convergence of strategic realignment, technological dividends, and market opportunity.
The underlying driver is a long-term commitment to technology that has finally entered a "payoff period." After years of accumulation, NIO's full-stack in-house development is now bolstering cost control. Self-developed components like chips and batteries have broken supply chain dependencies, handing the company greater control over expenses. Meanwhile, platform design allows premium technologies to be reused at scale, driving down per-unit costs.
Internally, NIO's "Core Business Unit" (CBU) reform has shifted the focus toward extreme efficiency and commercial health. The pricing of the all-new ES8 reflects rigorous CBU calculations, aiming to capture market share while securing healthy gross margins. This marks a fundamental shift in philosophy: moving from a focus on spending where necessary to an emphasis on saving wherever possible.
At the 70,000-unit milestone, NIO emphasized that market data clearly signals the arrival of a golden age for pure electric three-row SUVs.
