NIO EV Sales Up — Strong Community Backs The Startup
Credit to Author: Nicolas Zart| Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2020 03:06:13 +0000
Published on January 14th, 2020 | by Nicolas Zart
January 14th, 2020 by Nicolas Zart
NIO has released its delivery figures for December 2019. With deliveries of 3,170 vehicles in December 2019, including 2,537 ES6s and 633 ES8s, the cumulative deliveries of ES8 and ES6 have reached 31,913, spelling good news for the company as it closes a tumultuous year.
NIO Day. EC6 Unveiling. Photo by: Nicolas Zart, CleanTechnica
It’s not easy being a startup these days, but has weathered the storms pretty well considering where it was 10 months ago. NIO’s delivery numbers show a robust 25.4% month-over-month growth contributed by strong sales of its and . The deliveries consisted of 2,537 ES6s and 633 ES8s, an increase of 22.7% and 37.3%, respectively, compared with November 2019. As of December 31, 2019, overall deliveries of the ES6 and the ES8 reached 31,913 vehicles, of which 20,565 were delivered in 2019.
The company is betting on its ES6 5-seat high-performance premium electric SUV as well as its ES8 7-seat high-performance premium electric SUV (and a 6-seater variant). But perhaps what doesn’t show well in the numbers is the social media traffic the company enjoys on the local Chinese WhatsApp-like platform called WeChat.
The NIO community is a powerful force to behold, as I mentioned in my last article. I met loyal fans putting hands in wallets and money down on not only cars but on NIO Houses and other social hubs designed to enhance the user experience.
I’m kept up to date with a few of them. By January 18, Mr. Fu in Ningbo, China, will open a NIO House. What I’d love to convey is the excitement Mr. Fu showed at NIO Day in Shenzhen when we met. He told me something that just touched me. He said a year ago, he was just another person buying an EV. Today, he is part of an EV community and says he has more friends than he ever has had in the past. This kind of enthusiasm doesn’t show up on dry statistics and earning calls. This is raw potential, and NIO is taking a cue from other companies who understand how to let their fans do the work “out there.”
NIO Day. EC6 Unveiling. Photo by: Nicolas Zart, CleanTechnica
As to William Bin Li, founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of NIO, he was quoted as saying: “December marked the fifth consecutive month of increasing deliveries for NIO despite the continuous softness of the overall auto industry and, in particular, the significant decline of electric vehicle sales in the second half of 2019.
“These results are attributable, not only to our products and services that continue to stand out from the competition in quality, performance, and pricing, but also to our passionate, loyal, and supportive user base. Through favorable word of mouth and referrals, our existing users remain a steady and relevant driver of new orders. Our sales also benefited from the expansion of our sales network through the continued launch of more efficient NIO Spaces. With our product offerings further deepened and upgraded in 2020 through the all-new ES8, the 100-kWh battery pack, and the upcoming EC6, a 5-seater smart premium electric coupe SUV, we expect our order momentum to continue going forward.”
EV startups used to be dismissed, but they are now showing that electric mobility is taking shape in ways most OEMs couldn’t have imagined. There are a few tricks to picking out those that stand the best chance of surviving, and it isn’t just an emotional gut feeling. Significant innovation and intellectual property are driving their core businesses.
NIO defied the odds last year, and I feel it will come out on top this year. The startup has carved out a niche of its own away from its competitors and is succeeding more on its domestic market away from other premium brands.
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Nicolas Zart Nicolas was born and raised around classic cars of the 1920s, but it wasn’t until he drove an AC Propulsion eBox and a Tesla Roadster that the light went on. Ever since he has produced green mobility content on various CleanTech outlets since 2007 and found his home on CleanTechnica. He grew up in an international environment and his communication passion led to cover electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, renewable energy, test drives, podcasts, shoot pictures, and film for various international outlets in print and online. Nicolas offers an in-depth look at the e-mobility world through interviews and the many contacts he has forged in those industries. His favorite taglines are: “There are more solutions than obstacles.” and “Yesterday’s Future Now”