title: "NIO Delivers 80,000th Third-Gen ES8 as Q1 Guidance Hits 83,000 Units" slug: nio-es8-80000th-delivery date: 2026-03-21 category: industry tags: [nio, es8, ev, suv, china, milestone] source_url: "https://cnevpost.com/2026/03/20/nio-reaches-80000th-delivery-3rd-gen-es8/"
NIO reached its 80,000th third-generation ES8 delivery on March 20 in Hangzhou, just 22 days after hitting 70,000 on February 27. The pace is accelerating.
The ES8 starts at 406,800 yuan and accounted for 11,260 units in February 2026, representing 54.14% of NIO's total deliveries that month. When a single model makes up more than half of your sales, its momentum defines the brand's trajectory.
The Bigger Numbers
NIO posted its first quarterly GAAP operating profit in Q4 2025: 807.3 million yuan ($117 million). March 2026 delivery guidance ranges from 32,021 to 35,021 vehicles, roughly double the 15,039 delivered in March 2025. Q1 2026 total guidance sits between 80,000 and 83,000 units.
Co-founder Qin Lihong noted that ES8 order recovery has been "very strong" since the Chinese New Year holiday ended in late February. A 10,000 yuan purchase tax subsidy and a new Nebula Red exterior paint option are pushing March volume.
What's Next
The flagship ES9 SUV is planned for Q2 2026, which will sit above the ES8 in NIO's lineup. Whether the ES9 cannibalizes ES8 demand or expands the buyer pool into a higher price bracket will determine how NIO's 2026 product mix evolves.
