NIO Passes 1 Million Vehicles

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As I wrote a few days ago when reporting on NIO’s December, 4th quarter, and 2025 sales, the company was super close to passing 1 million cumulative vehicles produced and it would probably be just a few more days until we got an announcement that the company reached that milestone.

“NIO’s 1,000,000th vehicle rolled off the production line at NIO Factory Two in Hefei, Anhui Province, marking another significant milestone for the company,” NIO writes. “Since its founding in late 2014, NIO has built a comprehensive system capability spanning vehicle research and development, design, manufacturing, sales, and user services. From the rollout of the first NIO Founders’ Edition ES8 in 2018 to today’s production milestone of one million vehicles across its three brands, NIO, ONVO, and firefly, NIO has exemplified the momentum and vitality of China’s smart electric vehicle industry.”

Interestingly, NIO decided to donate this 1 millionth vehicle. The Nebula Green NIO ES8 has been donated to the Micius Quantum Foundation in Anhui, China. The vehicle will be used by quantum science researchers.

In addition, at the event commemorating the achievement, NIO launched the ET9 Milestone Edition, with its specialty being “honoring innovators across industries,” according to the company.

NIO also signed some new agreements with technology partners at the event. — “a framework agreement with Chery Automobile and JAC Motors on co-building an automotive innovation platform” and “a vehicle-chip industrialization partnership with Lontium Semiconductor Corporation, further fostering an open, collaborative, and win-win industrial ecosystem.”

Another interesting thing with NIO’s announcement, the company decided to honor the whole Chinese smart EV industry. Highlighting the country’s growing leadership and evolution, NIO notes, “China’s new energy vehicle production in 2025 is expected to surpass 15 million units, and Chinese automakers are projected to outpace Japanese brands in global vehicle sales for the first time. Chinese automakers are reshaping the global automotive landscape, transforming China from a major manufacturing hub into a global automotive powerhouse.”

NIO highlighted its own innovation, too. “Guided by the spirit of ‘Vision, Action,’ NIO has invested RMB 65 billion in technology research and development, building systematic capabilities across 12 core smart EV technologies. In charging and battery swapping infrastructure, NIO has invested RMB 18 billion, establishing 8,541 charging stations and Power Swap Stations in China, delivering over 96 million battery swaps cumulatively. These long-term investments are now translating into tangible user value and sustained competitive advantage.”

Frankly, those are some absurd numbers, and I bet most people aware of the company didn’t think NIO would ever reach 1 million vehicles, nearly 10,000 charging stations plus and Power Swap Stations, and 96 million battery swaps! The company has been proving people wrong, and even launched two sub-brands to help keep the momentum going. Where to next?

“One million vehicles is a new starting point. NIO is entering its third stage of development, with high-quality growth as the core objective,” said William Li, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of NIO. “Looking ahead, we will continue investing across our 12 full-stack technology capabilities to maintain leadership in both technology and products. We remain committed to infrastructure development, aiming to exceed 10,000 charging and battery swapping stations each by 2030. We will further strengthen synergy across our three brands, expand market share in each segment, and maintain annual volume growth of 40% to 50%. While deepening our presence in China, we will also expand globally in a more steady and efficient manner, bringing leading smart electric mobility experiences to users worldwide and shaping a sustainable and brighter future.”