NIO has confirmed the third-generation NIO ES8 has crossed 120,000 cumulative deliveries at its Jiading Nanxiang delivery centre in Shanghai — and it took just 275 days from launch. That puts the new ES8 among the fastest premium SUVs in Chinese history to reach the 120K mark. Separately, NIO confirmed pre-orders for the long-awaited five-seat variant open on June 28 2026.
The 120K Milestone in Context
Launched in late September 2025, the third-generation NIO ES8 has averaged roughly 13,600 deliveries per month. The previous-generation ES8 took multiple years to reach the same 120,000-unit cumulative number across its entire production life. In May 2026 alone, the new ES8 booked 11,472 CPCA retail units — a top-twenty SUV nationally and the strongest single piece of evidence yet that NIO’s 2026 recovery story is real, not narrative. The current trim mix runs roughly 60% six-seat and 40% standard seven-seat, with the five-seat variant set to become the third option from late summer.
What the Five-Seat ES8 Adds
The five-seat layout swaps the rear captain’s chairs for a three-passenger bench, lifting boot capacity past 900 litres seats-up versus about 580 litres on the seven-seat with the third row folded. Powertrain is identical to the six- and seven-seat cars: dual-motor AWD with 660 kW combined output and up to 605 km CLTC range from the 100 kWh pack. NIO’s NAD city-autonomous stack ships with lifetime activation on mid-tier and above. Pricing for the five-seat trim is expected to start around RMB 478,000 (≈ USD 65,900) — roughly RMB 20,000 below the equivalent seven-seat — with a flagship line at RMB 528,000. Battery as a Service remains on offer for buyers who skip the pack purchase.
Why It Matters for Made-in-China Premium SUVs
The 275-day clock to 120K is the kind of run-rate that used to be reserved for mainstream-priced models, not premium SUVs priced above RMB 450,000. iEVChina’s full ES8 milestone analysis includes the cumulative delivery curve, trim mix detail and five-seat target-buyer breakdown. For the wider Made-in-China premium category, the takeaway is that domestic premium buyers will pay full price for a Chinese badge once the product, software and swap network actually deliver.
Source: official disclosure / iEVChina analysis
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