NIO Delivers 37,408 Vehicles in September as Growth Slows and ONVO Slides

NIO delivered 37,408 vehicles in September, up 7.7 percent from a year earlier, and 109,178 in the third quarter, up 25.4 percent. The main NIO brand surged while its mainstream ONVO brand slid, and growth has slowed sharply since July (Electrek, RTTNews).

The headline numbers

NIO Inc. published its figures on October 1. For the first nine months of 2026, it delivered 300,301 vehicles, up 49.2 percent, and cumulative deliveries reached 1,297,893 by September 30. The quarter landed inside the 108,000 to 111,000 range NIO had guided for, CnEVPost and Electrek report. The company also highlighted the All-New ES8 reaching 150,000 deliveries on its first anniversary on September 20, and the ES9 passing 30,000 since its May 28, 2026 launch.

Brand	September deliveries	Q3 deliveries	Q3 change
NIO	21,318	62,500	Up 69.2%
ONVO	8,763	27,728	Down 26.4%
Firefly	7,327 (record)	18,950	Up 51.8%
Total	37,408	109,178	Up 25.4%

Firefly's September total beat its previous record of 7,084 from December 2025, and the brand later passed 90,000 cumulative deliveries (CnEVPost).

A quarter of two halves

Electrek's figures show how uneven the quarter was. Year-on-year growth was 71 percent in July, 14.5 percent in August and 7.7 percent in September, the slowest pace of 2026. ONVO, designed to be the mainstream volume brand, fell about 43 percent in September alone (42.5 percent in Electrek's table). The monthly percentages are Electrek's calculations from NIO's data.

The annual target looks hard

NIO's original 2026 goal, as reported by Electrek, was 456,000 to 489,000 deliveries. With 300,301 delivered through September, it would need roughly 156,000 to 189,000 in the last three months, or about 51,900 to 62,900 a month, against 37,408 in September and 109,178 in the whole third quarter.

Electrek says that even averaging more than 40,000 a month in the fourth quarter, which it describes as NIO's stated objective, would leave the year at about 420,000, some 36,000 short of the bottom of the range. Eletric-vehicles.com says NIO needs record months to hit its target. NIO's delivery release itself contains no fourth-quarter guidance.

What the split says

The premium NIO brand is carrying the group while the cheaper, higher-volume ONVO line struggles, and volume brands are what usually lift totals quickly. Firefly grew but is too small to offset ONVO's drop. NIO has not explained ONVO's decline. A company can lift volumes with new models, price moves or year-end promotions, but September's trend runs the other way.

Electric Cars Report says NIO and XPeng both posted strong September deliveries as competition intensifies.

What to watch next

October deliveries, due in early November, will show whether ONVO stabilises, and NIO's third-quarter earnings should include formal fourth-quarter guidance.

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