Category: Nio

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Battery Swap China Electric eMobility eV Nio NIO Power Tracker

NIO’s battery swap network completes initial coverage of Beijing-Taipei highway

The G3 Beijing-Taipei highway is a 2,030-kilometer road linking northern, eastern and southeastern China.

NIO's battery swap network completes initial coverage of Beijing-Taipei highway-CnEVPost

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

NIO's (NYSE: NIO) battery swap station network is extending its coverage to a broader area, completing initial coverage of a major highway from northern to southern China.

On April 23, NIO's battery swap station network completed initial coverage of the G3 Beijing-Taipei highway with 21 battery swap stations along the route, the electric vehicle (EV) maker announced today.

NIO's battery swap network completes initial coverage of Beijing-Taipei highway-CnEVPost

(Image credit: NIO)

By now, NIO has completed coverage of five major highways connecting to Beijing, the other four being the G1 Beijing-Harbin highway, the G2 Beijing-Shanghai highway, the G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau highway and the G5 Beijing-Kunming highway.

The G3 Beijing-Taipei highway is a trunk line linking northern, eastern and southeastern China, with a total length of 2,030 kilometers, running through Beijing, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian and Taiwan. The Fuzhou-Taipei section is not yet open.

Along the highway, there is an average of one battery swap station every 112 kilometers, according to NIO.

Here's a video NIO shared on its mobile app.

On July 6, 2022, NIO said at the second NIO Power Day event that it will complete a battery swap network covering nine vertical highways, nine horizontal highways and 19 urban clusters in China by 2025.

NIO's battery swap network completes initial coverage of Beijing-Taipei highway-CnEVPost

(Image credit: NIO)

NIO expects to have more than 4,000 battery swap stations worldwide by 2025, with 1,000 of them located overseas, the company said at the time.

By 2025, more than 90 percent of NIO customers will have at least one battery swap station within three kilometers of their homes.

As of today, NIO's battery swap station network covers 6 vertical highways, 3 horizontal highways and 8 urban clusters.

NIO announced plans late last year to add 400 battery swap stations in 2023, but that plan was raised to 1,000 on February 21.

William Li, NIO's founder, chairman and CEO, said at the time that the company would further accelerate the deployment of battery swap stations, aiming to have more than 2,300 battery swap stations in China by the end of 2023.

On April 12, NIO's first 10 third-generation swap stations went into operation, after the next-generation station was launched at NIO Day late last year.

On April 18, Li said at a press event on the first day of the Shanghai auto show that NIO will add about 200 battery swap stations every month starting in June.

NIO added two battery swap stations in China today, bringing the total number of facilities to 1,366. It also added five charging stations, bringing the total to 2,506, providing 14,857 charging piles, according to data monitored by CnEVPost.

April 23 and May 6 are working days in China, according to the country's schedule for the upcoming Labor Day holiday, even though they are Sunday and Saturday, respectively. The holiday runs from April 29 to May 3.

NIO's 1st 10 3rd-gen swap stations go into operation

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China Electric eMobility eV Nio Wait Times

NIO App sees major changes to vehicle configurator, here are latest model wait times

NIO App's vehicle configurator now available for only 5 models, and the ET7 wait time is back on display.

NIO App sees major changes to vehicle configurator, here are latest model wait times-CnEVPost

(Screenshot on April 21.)

The vehicle configurator on NIO's (NYSE: NIO) Chinese mobile app sees significant changes, following the company's launch of the new ES6 and the 2023 ET7 at the Shanghai auto show.

NIO's website currently showcases seven models -- the new ES8, ES7, new ES6, EC7, EC6, ET7, and ET5.

All models are new based on the NT 2.0 platform, except for the EC6, which is an older model based on the NT 1.0 platform.

In the vehicle configurator of NIO App, only 5 models are available -- the new ES8, ES7, EC7, ET7, ET5, while the configurators of the new ES6 and the NT 1.0 EC6 are not available.

On the first day of the Shanghai auto show on April 18, NIO launched the new ET7 and unveiled the new ES6.

The 2023 ET7 is already taking order lock-ins, with deliveries starting in mid-May. The new ES6 started to take pre-orders, but the official launch and delivery will be late May, William Li, NIO founder, chairman and CEO, said at the time in a brief launch event.

Previously, the NIO website and app are showing eight models, including the ES8, ES6 and EC6 based on the NT 1.0 platform, and the new ES8, ES7, EC7, ET7 and ET5 based on the NT 2.0 platform.

The all-new ES8 currently shows an expected delivery date of June, in line with the previous one. The model was unveiled at the NIO Day event on December 24 last year and has not yet started taking order lock-ins.

The ES7 currently has a wait time of 3-5 weeks, consistent with the previous information. The model was launched on June 15, 2022, and deliveries began on August 28.

The EC7 currently has a wait time of about 4 weeks. The model was unveiled at last year's NIO Day event on December 24 and began allowing consumers to lock in their orders on April 6.

Deliveries of custom vehicles for the EC7 will begin in mid-May, NIO said on April 6.

Wait time for the ET7 is back on display and currently stand at about 4 weeks. On March 13, the NIO App stopped displaying expected delivery times for the ET7.

On April 18, NIO launched the 2023 ET7 at the Shanghai auto show, and began accepting order lock-ins. Deliveries of the model are expected to begin in mid-May, Li said at the time.

The ET5 currently has a wait time of about 2 weeks, in line with the previous one.

In the first half of this year, NIO will introduce more new products to accelerate the pace from product launch to delivery, the company's management said in a call with analysts after announcing fourth-quarter earnings early last month.

The company will also begin deliveries of its fifth new model this year in July, which would be a month later than originally planned, Li said on the call.

NIO's supply chain and manufacturing teams were actively preparing for the new model switchover and production ramp-up to ensure capacity and supply meet the increased demand for new products, the company said at the time.

The company's main model delivered in the first quarter was the ET5, which is a lower-margin model, so the pressure on gross margin in the first quarter was relatively high, Li said.

NIO App sees major changes to vehicle configurator, here are latest model wait times-CnEVPost

(Vehicle configurator in the NIO App. Screenshot on April 21.)

Changes in wait times for NIO models

DateModelPrevChangeLatest
04/21/23ET7 (NT 2.0)NANAAbout 4 weeks
04/21/23EC7 (NT 2.0)Mid MayNAAbout 4 weeks
04/17/23ES7 (NT 2.0)About 2 weeks↑3-5 weeks
04/14/23ES6 (NT 1.0)About 2 weeksNAStop showing
04/10/23ET5 (NT 2.0)About 3 weeks↓About 2 weeks
04/10/23ES7 (NT 2.0)About 3 weeks↓About 2 weeks
03/28/23ET5 (NT 2.0)3-4 weeks↓About 3 weeks
03/28/23ES7 (NT 2.0)4-6 weeks↓About 3 weeks
03/14/23ET5 (NT 2.0)2-3 weeks↑3-4 weeks
03/14/23ES7 (NT 2.0)About 3 weeks↑4-6 weeks
03/13/23ET7 (NT 2.0)About 3 weeksNAStop showing
02/14/23ES7 (NT 2.0)3-4 weeks↓About 3 weeks
02/14/23ET7 (NT 2.0)3-4 weeks↓About 3 weeks
02/14/23ET5 (NT 2.0)About 3 weeks↓2-3 weeks
02/6/23ET5 (NT 2.0)3-4 weeks↓About 3 weeks
01/28/23ES7 (NT 2.0)2-3 weeks↑3-4 weeks
01/28/23ET7 (NT 2.0)2-3 weeks↑3-4 weeks
01/28/23ET5 (NT 2.0)7-9 weeks↓3-4 weeks
01/11/23ET5 (NT 2.0)8-10 weeks↓7-9 weeks
01/5/23ET5 (NT 2.0)9-11 weeks↓8-10 weeks
12/29/22ET5 (NT 2.0)10-12 weeks↓9-11 weeks
12/22/22ET5 (NT 2.0)12-14 weeks↓10-12 weeks
12/20/22ES7 (NT 2.0)4-6 weeks↓2-3 weeks
12/13/22ET5 (NT 2.0)13-15 weeks↓12-14 weeks
12/13/22ET7 (NT 2.0)About 2 weeks↑2-3 weeks
12/13/22EC6 (NT 1.0)About 2 weeksNAStop showing
12/2/22ET5 (NT 2.0)21-23 weeks↓13-15 weeks
11/25/22ES7 (NT 2.0)7-9 weeks↓4-6 weeks
11/25/22ET7 (NT 2.0)3-5 weeks↓About 2 weeks
11/23/22ES8 (NT 1.0)About 2 weeksNAStop showing
11/16/22ET7 (NT 2.0)4-6 weeks↓3-5 weeks
11/10/22ES8 (NT 1.0)2-3 weeks↓About 2 weeks
11/10/22ES6 (NT 1.0)2-3 weeks↓About 2 weeks
11/10/22EC6 (NT 1.0)2-3 weeks↓About 2 weeks
11/3/22ES7 (NT 2.0)11-13 weeks↓7-9 weeks
11/3/22ET7 (NT 2.0)6-8 weeks↓4-6 weeks
11/3/22ES8 (NT 1.0)2-4 weeks↓2-3 weeks
11/3/22ES6 (NT 1.0)2-4 weeks↓2-3 weeks
11/3/22EC6 (NT 1.0)2-4 weeks↓2-3 weeks
10/31/22ES7 (NT 2.0)12-14 weeks↓11-13 weeks
10/31/22ES8 (NT 1.0)3-5 weeks↓2-4 weeks
10/31/22ES6 (NT 1.0)3-5 weeks↓2-4 weeks
10/31/22EC6 (NT 1.0)3-5 weeks↓2-4 weeks
10/21/22ES7 (NT 2.0)13-15 weeks↓12-14 weeks
10/21/22ET7 (NT 2.0)11-13 weeks↓6-8 weeks
10/21/22ET5 (NT 2.0)21-23 weeksNAStop showing
10/21/22ES8 (NT 1.0)4-6 weeks↓3-5 weeks
10/21/22ES6 (NT 1.0)4-6 weeks↓3-5 weeks
10/21/22EC6 (NT 1.0)4-6 weeks↓3-5 weeks

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Auto Show China Electric eMobility eV Innovusion LiDAR Nio NIO Suppliers

NIO supplier Innovusion partners with Fuyao to put LiDAR behind windshield

Innovusion and Fuyao have begun joint research that has resulted in LiDAR integration behind the front windshield with less than 10 percent attenuation of detection performance.

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

The roof LiDAR setup has been complained by some to affect the aesthetics of the vehicle design. Now, local Chinese LiDAR manufacturers are working to put the component inside the vehicle.

NIO's LiDAR supplier Innovusion has partnered with local auto glass giant Fuyao Group to create LiDARs that can be mounted behind the front windshield, according to a press release yesterday.

There are currently two main mounting options for LiDAR, mounting it on top of the car like NIO's models, or placing the part next to the headlights as does.

Mounting LiDAR behind the front windshield, which does not affect the vehicle's exterior design and makes LiDAR less susceptible to the external environment, becomes one of the best options, Innovusion said.

However, the solution faces a number of technical challenges, including detection signal attenuation, noise from the LiDAR motor, and heat dissipation problems.

(Image credit: Innovusion)

Through its innovation, Fuyao has been able to optimize the LiDAR's waveband transmittance, Innovusion said.

The initial collaboration between the two will be based on Innovusion's Robin-E, which has dimensions of 117 mm * 100 mm * 44 mm, a total weight of about 450 grams, less than 9 W of power consumption and less than 20 dB(A) of noise.

The two companies have started joint research and development and have already achieved LiDAR integration with the camera behind the front windshield, with detection performance attenuation of less than 10 percent, Innovusion said.

Founded in 2016, Innovusion has R&D centers in Silicon Valley, Suzhou and Shanghai, and LiDAR manufacturing sites in Ningbo and Suzhou.

On March 28, 2022, NIO delivered the first ET7 vehicles, marking the mass production of Innovusion's Falcon LiDAR product. ET7 and other newer NIO models are equipped with Innovusion's image-grade, ultra-long-range LiDAR Falcon.

Prior to Innovusion, Hesai (NASDAQ: HSAI) announced on April 14 a new LiDAR called the ET25, which it says is an in-cockpit LiDAR designed to be placed behind the front windshield.

The ET25 is an ultra-thin, long-range LiDAR, with the "ET" standing for Extremely Thin and the "25" referring to its height of just 25 mm.

Hesai unveils ultra-thin LiDAR ET25 that can be placed behind windshield

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charging China Electric eMobility eV Nio NIO Power Journeys NIO Power Up Plan

NIO upgrades Power Up Plan to Power Journeys, ramping up efforts in charging network

NIO will add an additional 20 charging routes under the Power Journeys plan this year, after having completed 52 routes.

NIO upgrades Power Up Plan to Power Journeys, ramping up efforts in charging network-CnEVPost

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

NIO (NYSE: NIO) has upgraded a program designed to improve the travel experience for electric vehicle owners, after opening dozens of destination charging routes over the past three years.

The electric vehicle (EV) maker announced on the first day of the Shanghai auto show on April 18 that it is upgrading its Power Up Plan to Power Journeys and will continue its push to build out charging facilities.

With NIO's plan to add 1,000 battery swap stations and 10,000 charging piles this year, Power Journeys will meet the charging demand of more customers, said William Li, the company's founder, chairman and CEO, in a brief release.

NIO will add an additional 20 charging routes under the Power Journeys plan this year, covering areas including the Silk Road, southeastern Guizhou and the Xilin Gol grasslands.

NIO announced the Power Up Plan during the Beijing auto show in September 2020, with the aim of deploying destination DC charging piles in popular travel, leisure and business destinations to form a nationwide charging network.

According to the plan, NIO's ultimate goal is to deploy more than 30,000 destination charging piles in China.

To achieve this goal, NIO previously said it would provide a total of RMB 100 million in construction and operation subsidies to all partners who are willing to share resources and waive service fees for NIO users, with an average subsidy of RMB 1,000 per charging post per year for three years.

Up to now, NIO has completed 52 destination charging routes.

The routes are popular with users and have validated NIO's thinking, Li said, adding that the company has decided to deploy more charging and battery swap facilities next in places with poor infrastructure.

Li said NIO wants Power Journeys to meet users' needs for energy replenishment, so that where gasoline cars can go electric vehicles can go, too.

For NIO, ramping up infrastructure is one of its key tools to enhance the appeal of its vehicles, with deliveries of its NT 2.0 platform-based models all set to begin in the coming months.

Up to 70 percent of NIO owners are in China's first- and second-tier cities, and for the less developed third- and fourth-tier cities, the company is looking to expand with battery swap stations rather than showrooms that include NIO Houses as well as NIO Spaces, its co-founder and president Qin Lihong said last month.

NIO keeps goal of doubling sales this year despite price war causing greater challenges

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China Deliveries Electric eMobility eV EV Data Insurance Registrations Li Auto Neta Nio Tesla Weekly Data XPeng

Insurance registrations for week ending Apr 16: Tesla 12,500, Li Auto 6,300, NIO 700

NIO's weak performance may be because it is on the eve of multiple product switches, as it will begin deliveries of the new ET7, new ES6, EC7 in May and will begin deliveries of the new ES8 in June.

(NASDAQ: TSLA) and (NASDAQ: LI) kept sales strong last week, while NIO (NYSE: NIO) was weak, the latest data show.

Li Auto sold 6,300 units in the week of April 10 to April 16, far outpacing China's other new car-making brands, the automaker said in an April 19 post to its WeChat account.

Li Auto didn't say what the sales figure was based on, but it was apparently insurance registrations. Previously, we had access to the data every Tuesday, and Li Auto's practice was to share some of it on Wednesdays.

The main source that provides data on auto insurance registrations in China stopped sharing that data this month, but Li Auto continues to share some of it.

Tesla sold 12,500 units last week, according to the data table shared by Li Auto. Tesla's sales in the previous week were 6,973, according to data previously shared by Li Auto.

NIO sold about 700 units last week, according to the data. The electric vehicle maker sold 1,316 units in the previous week.

NIO's weak performance may be because it is on the eve of multiple product switches. It launched the new ET7 and unveiled the new ES6 on the first day of the Shanghai auto show on April 18, with deliveries both set to begin in May.

In addition to the new ET7 and the new ES6, NIO will also start delivering the EC7 coupe SUV in May and will start delivering the new ES8 in June, according to plans it previously annouced.

sold 1,300 units last week, up from 904 units the week before, according to data shared by Li Auto. XPeng unveiled the new SUV G6 on the first day of the Shanghai auto show on April 18, but pricing information is unknown.

sold 1,600 units last week, up from 1,476 the week before. Leapmotor sold 1,700 units last week, up from 1,157 the week before. Neta sold 1,800 units last week, up from 1,526 the week before.

Among premium brands, BMW sold 14,500 cars last week including internal combustion engine vehicles as well as NEVs, Mercedes-Benz 13,400 and Audi 12,600, according to data shared by Li Auto.

Separately, retail sales of NEVs in China from April 1-16 were 223,000 units, up 89 percent year-on-year and up 13 percent from the same period last month, according to data released yesterday by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Considering that NEV retail sales were 91,000 from April 1 to April 9, this means that during the week of April 10 to April 16, NEV retail sales in China were 132,000 units, up 45 percent from the previous week.

From April 10-16, retail sales of all passenger vehicles in China were 335,328 units, up 80 percent year-on-year and up 23 percent from the same period last month, according to the CPCA.

Insurance registrations for week ending Apr 9: Tesla 6,973, Li Auto 4,177, NIO 1,316

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China Denza Electric Electric cars eMobility eV Li Auto Nio Weekly Data

China EV startup’s sales in the week of April 10-16: Li Auto 6.3k, Denza 2.2k, Nio 0.7k

Li Auto is up 50%, Xpeng is up 43%, Nio is down 46%.

The post China EV startup’s sales in the week of April 10-16: Li Auto 6.3k, Denza 2.2k, Nio 0.7k appeared first on CarNewsChina.com.

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Auto Show China Electric eMobility eV Nio NIO ES6 NIO ET7 Product Launch

NIO launches new ET7, unveils new ES6 at Shanghai auto show

The 2023 ET7 is already taking order lock-ins, with deliveries to start in mid-May. The new ES6 is now available for pre-order, but the official launch and delivery will be in late May.  |  NIO US | NIO HK | NIO SG

NIO (NYSE: NIO) today officially launched the 2023 model year ET7 sedan and gave the debut of the revamped ES6 SUV as planned.

The 2023 ET7 is now available for pre-order and order lock-ins, with deliveries to begin in mid-May, William Li, founder, chairman and CEO of NIO, announced today on the first day of the Shanghai auto show.

The new ES6 is also available for pre-order, but the official launch will be in late May.

New ET7

NIO launches new ET7, unveils new ES6 at Shanghai auto show-CnEVPost

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

The ET7 is NIO's flagship sedan, originally launched at the NIO Day 2020 event on January 9, 2021, with deliveries beginning on March 28, 2022.

The 2023 ET7 brings more than 15 updates and upgrades, including improved seats and a 40w wireless charging panel for cell phones, but at the same prices.

With a more comfortable ride, more refined interior and a smarter experience, the improved ET7 continues to lead the direction of change for premium smart electric mid to large size sedans, said Li.

Including the battery, the new ET7 starts at RMB 458,000 ($66,600) for the version with the 75-kWh pack and RMB 516,000 for the version with the 100-kWh long-range pack.

If customers choose the BaaS (battery as a service) option, both models start at RMB 388,000, with monthly battery rental costs of RMB 980 and RMB 1,680 respectively.

In addition to these two versions, the new ET7 is also available in a signature edition with a 100-kWh battery pack for a starting price of RMB 536,000 including the battery. The model starts at RMB 408,000 under the BaaS plan, with a monthly battery rental fee of RMB 1,680.

NIO launches new ET7, unveils new ES6 at Shanghai auto show-CnEVPost

NIO is offering a 10-year unlimited mileage warranty, four free battery swaps per month, and free lifetime internet connectivity for 2023 ET7 customers.

Customers who pay a deposit for the ET7 before June will receive a free home charger worth RMB 7,500. If they choose to forgo the home charger, they can 2 more free battery swap services per month.

Customers who order before June will also receive two years of free NOP (Navigate on Pilot) Plus worth RMB 9,120.

The formal version of NOP+ will be available in subscription mode starting July 1 for RMB 380 per month.

NIO's intelligent driving software NAD (NIO Autonomous Driving) will also be available on a monthly subscription basis for RMB 680 per month. There is no clear timeline for the software's availability.

New ES6

NIO launches new ET7, unveils new ES6 at Shanghai auto show-CnEVPost

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

The new ES6 made its debut today at the Shanghai auto show. NIO did not announce the exact specifications or prices of the SUV, and its official launch will be in late May.

Nonetheless, NIO has begun allowing customers to pay a RMB 5,000 deposit to reserve the model, which Li said will move quickly from official launch to delivery.

Customers who purchase the model by July 31 will receive benefits including a Moon theme package with orange calipers worth RMB 8,000 and NOP + two years free access worth RMB 9,120.

First-time owners of the new ES6 will also receive a 10-year unlimited mileage warranty, up to six free battery swaps per month and free internet access.

Deliveries of the new ES6 are expected to begin in late May, roughly in the order of order lock-in and reservation payment, according to an article in the NIO App. This means that deliveries of the ES6 are expected to begin the month of its official launch.

The show cars of the new ES6 and the vehicles used for test drives are expected to be available in NIO stores in May.

NIO launches new ET7, unveils new ES6 at Shanghai auto show-CnEVPost

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

($1 = RMB 6.8768)

NIO keeps goal of doubling sales this year despite price war causing greater challenges

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China Electric eMobility eV Nio Sales Target William Li

NIO keeps goal of doubling sales this year despite price war causing greater challenges

NIO maintains its previously mentioned goal of doubling sales, despite greater challenges to meet the goal, said William Li.

NIO keeps goal of doubling sales this year despite price war causing greater challenges-CnEVPost

(William Li (left), founder, chairman and CEO of NIO, and Qin Lihong, co-founder and president of the company, participate in a media group interview. Photo taken by CnEVPost.)

NIO (NYSE: NIO) is confident it will see sales double this year, despite a rare price war that disrupted the Chinese auto industry in the first quarter.

NIO maintains its previously mentioned goal of doubling sales, though the challenge to meet that goal is greater, William Li, the electric vehicle (EV) maker's founder, chairman and CEO, said in an interview in response to questions from CnEVPost.

The price war has had a big impact on the auto industry, and NIO will not follow suit. Instead, it adjusted the benefits offered to consumers, which can be seen as a price increase, Li mentioned in the group interview on April 17 on the eve of the Shanghai auto show.

What NIO really cares about is creating value for users, not simply lowering prices, Li said, adding that companies that start price wars usually don't get the results they want because it leads to damage to the interests of existing vehicle owners and won't win the future.

In the short term, NIO will face some pressure as a result, he said.

NIO delivered a total of 122,486 vehicles in 2022, up 34 percent from 91,429 in 2021. The doubling of sales means that NIO is expected to deliver about 240,000 vehicles this year.

Li said in a March 1 analyst call following NIO's fourth-quarter earnings announcement that the company is aiming to see sales double this year compared to last year.

"Our team is very confident in that," Li said at the time.

In a March 22 interview with Bloomberg TV, NIO CFO Steven Feng said the company is very confident it will meet its sales target in 2023.

NIO delivered 31,041 vehicles in the first quarter, which means it needs to deliver more than 23,000 vehicles each month on average for the rest of the year to meet its full-year goal.

NIO keeps goal of doubling sales this year despite price war causing greater challenges-CnEVPost

At the time Li mentioned the target on March 1, only a handful of NEV makers had cut prices in China.

However, some internal combustion engine automakers then began offering steep discounts, and a wave of price cuts quickly swept through the industry.

Rather than boosting vehicle sales significantly, the rare price war has led to increased consumer's wait-and-see sentiment.

On March 22, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) called for the hype about this round of price cuts in China's auto industry to cool down as soon as possible, so that the industry can return to normal operation and ensure healthy and stable development throughout the year.

In March, retail sales of new energy passenger vehicles in China were 543,000 units, up a modest 21.9 percent year-on-year and 23.6 percent from February, according to data released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on April 10.

This is lower than the CPCA's preliminary figure of 549,000 units released on April 6, and lower than the 560,000 units it had forecast in its March 25 report.

The price cuts by some NEV companies may have triggered a wait-and-see mood among consumers, the CPCA said at the time.

For the overall passenger car market, retail sales in March were 1.587 million units, up 0.3 percent from a year earlier and up 14.3 percent from February. In the January-March period, retail sales in China's auto industry were 4.261 million units, down 13.4 percent from a year earlier.

Li also said in the interview that the decline in Chinese auto sales in the first quarter reflected a strong consumer wait-and-see sentiment.

He also mentioned that the company maintained its target of achieving profitability for its core NIO brand in the fourth quarter of this year, excluding investment in innovative businesses.

Lithium prices are falling faster than expected, and NIO's costs will fall as future deliveries rise, Li said.

As of April 17, the average price of battery-grade lithium carbonate had fallen to RMB 187,500 per ton in China, and the average price of industrial-grade lithium carbonate fell to RMB 140,000 per ton, according to data from Mysteel.

NIO keeps goal of doubling sales this year despite price war causing greater challenges-CnEVPost

NIO ET5 ranks 7th in top-selling premium sedan list in China with 6,437 Mar sales

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Auto Show China Electric eMobility eV Li Auto Nio Research Note XPeng

Shanghai auto show: Deutsche Bank’s preview

While auto shows have generally started to lose some significance as automakers turn to dedicated launch events, this year's Shanghai auto show could be an exception, said Deutsche Bank analyst Edison Yu's team.

(A file photo taken by CnEVPost at the Shanghai auto show two years ago shows an ET7 wrapped in a blanket.)

The Shanghai auto show will begin in less than 10 hours, and it will be interesting to know what analysts expect from the event.

"While auto shows have generally started to lose some significance as OEMs shifted to dedicated launch events, this year's Shanghai Auto Show (starts officially tomorrow) could be an exception," Deutsche Bank analyst Edison Yu's team said in a research note sent to investors today.

Most notably, this will be the first auto show since Covid reopened, bringing together many executives and industry observers from overseas for the first time in years, the team said.

Product cycles for electric vehicles are significantly faster compared to internal combustion engine vehicles, as automakers struggle to maintain customer attention and loyalty, meaning many of the vehicles unveiled at the show will begin delivery in short order, the team noted.

NIO (NYSE: NIO), (NYSE: XPEV) and (NASDAQ: LI) all have new announcements coming this week, with NIO set to officially unveil its new ES6, historically its best-selling SUV, Yu's team wrote.

NIO's sales have been sluggish in recent months due to customer expectations of a platform changeover, so the new ES6 will be a very important product, with deliveries likely to begin in June, the team said.

In addition to the new ES6, NIO will also unveil the new ET7 at the Shanghai auto show, the flagship sedan whose sales in the past few months have been well below its performance in the second half of last year.

The updated version of the NIO ET7 will feature some improvements to its interior and deliveries are expected to begin in a few months, Yu's team said.

For XPeng, it will unveil its G6 SUV at the show, which Yu's team believes is the most important model for the company's ambition to reignite volume growth.

"Pricing details will likely not be finalized though as management gauges the initial consumer response. Deliveries are set to begin in June," the team wrote.

Li Auto will launch its dual-energy strategy by unveiling its all-electric solution tomorrow.

The company's first BEV will be a premium MPV and production is expected to begin by the end of this year, Yu's team noted.

Li Auto management recently said it plans to spend RMB 10 billion yuan to build 3,000 supercharging stations by 2025, and further details of this roadmap are to be expected, the team said.

In addition to these three Chinese upstarts, traditional Chinese OEMs have been very active over the past year, the team said.

So far, GAC and have been the most consistent in terms of volume, according to the team.

Zeekr plans to bring the recently launched Zeekr X compact SUV to Europe along with the Zeekr 001 shooting brake model, and more details on the European strategy will be provided this week.

Also, BYD has been quite active, showing off its new Yangwang U9 electric supercar with the new DiSus-X body control system last week.

This week, BYD will unveil the Song L BEV and also begin taking pre-orders for the U8, a premium off-road SUV.

" The company is clearly trying to move upmarket by establishing bold 'halo' vehicles for its new brand," Yu's team wrote.

BYD also announced that the Dolphin and Seal BEVs will be available in Europe later this year. Both models will be smaller and cheaper and should compete more effectively in the low end of mass market, the team said.

In addition to local Chinese carmakers, global OEMs are also showing off new products, and upcoming new models will include the Polestar 4, Smart #3, Lexus LM and Maybach SUV BEV, the team noted.

Shanghai auto show: Full schedule of 150 press conferences for exhibitors

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NIO’s 1st 15 ultra-fast 500 kW charging stations go into operation

The 500 kW chargers can charge an EV from 10 percent to 80 percent in as little as 20 minutes for a 400V model and 12 minutes for an 800V model.

NIO's 1st 15 ultra-fast 500 kW charging stations go into operation-CnEVPost

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

NIO's first 500 kW ultra-fast chargers are now in operation after its first third-generation battery swap stations went live last week.

The electric vehicle (EV) maker announced the development today, saying the first 500 kW ultra-fast charging stations are put into operation in 12 cities including Haikou, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Qingdao, and three highway service areas.

500 kW is the peak power of the charging facility, which has a maximum charging current of 660 A, and NIO said the performance far exceeds that of other supercharging stations currently in the electric vehicle industry.

In charging an EV from 10 percent to 80 percent with the charger, it takes as little as 20 minutes for a 400V model and 12 minutes for an 800V model, NIO said.

NIO's 1st 15 ultra-fast 500 kW charging stations go into operation-CnEVPost

The company equipped the facility with an ultra-lightweight liquid-cooled cable it developed in-house that weighs less than half of a traditional cable and can be easily operated with one hand, it said.

The charging pile has a 15.6-inch high-definition retina screen that makes it easy for users to view operational procedures and charging information, NIO said.

NIO unveiled the charger, along with the third-generation battery swap station, at the NIO Day event last December 24, and the first 10 third-generation swap stations went into operation on April 13.

The 500 kW ultra-fast charger and the third-generation battery swap stations form a new generation of all-in-one stations that intelligently allocate power, allowing the ultra-fast charger to perform more efficiently and consistently, according to NIO.

At the same time, thanks to the battery swap stations' high charge and powerful energy storage capacity, this becomes the easiest ultra-fast charging product to deploy under the same grid distribution conditions, the company said.

NIO's 1st 15 ultra-fast 500 kW charging stations go into operation-CnEVPost

NIO previously announced a goal to add 1,000 new battery swap stations this year to bring the total number of the facility in China to 2,300. It also hopes to add 10,000 charging piles in China this year, including supercharging piles as well as destination charging piles.

As of April 17, NIO had 1,352 battery swap stations in China, as well as 2,488 charging stations offering 14,768 charging piles.

NIO's 1st 10 3rd-gen swap stations go into operation

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