- The ES9 will be based on Nio's latest NT 3.0 platform and is expected to be longer than 5.2 meters, a new rumor claims.
- This is the first time the ES9 has been widely mentioned on a social media platform.
Rumors are starting to circulate about a new model that Nio will likely unveil at Nio Day 2025 at the end of this year, even though the second quarter has only just begun.
The electric vehicle (EV) maker is set to unveil the ES9 large SUV (sport utility vehicle) on Nio Day at the end of the year, according to a screenshot of a chat that has been widely circulated on Weibo today and shared by multiple automotive bloggers who track Nio closely.
The ES9 will be based on Nio's latest third-generation platform, the NT 3.0 platform, and is expected to be over 5.2 meters long, according to the screenshot. This is the first time ES9 has been widely mentioned on a social media platform.
The updated ES8 SUV based on the third-generation platform will hit the market in August and could increase in length to over 5.1 meters, the content in the screenshot claimed.
The updated ES8 is actually based on the ES7 SUV, which may be renamed the ES8 for strategic reasons, according to the screenshot.
The current ES8 is 5,099 mm long and the ES7 is 4,912 mm.
Nio's updated ES6 SUV and EC6 coupe SUV are expected to be launched in May, and the updated ET5 sedan and ET5 Touring shooting brake are expected to hit the market in June, according to what's in the screenshot.
The Nio brand currently has nine models -- ET9, ES8, ES7, ES6, EC7, EC6, ET7, ET5, ET5 Touring -- with the ET9, which started deliveries at the end of last month, being its flagship sedan, and the ES8 its flagship SUV.
In China, nine is usually used for a car company's top-end models, as the number is often seen as supreme.
Nio previously said that Nio Inc will have new product launches in every quarter this year from the second to the fourth quarter.
The Nio brand's main sellers -- the ET5, ET5 Touring, ES6 and EC6 -- will get facelifts and will use a horizontal center screen instead of the previous vertical one. They will also use Nio's own Shenji autonomous driving chip.
Nio has been downplaying the concept of vehicle platforms for the past two years, though the updated ET5, ET5 Touring, ES6, and EC6 are widely seen as being built on the NT 2.5 platform, a transitional platform that has not been officially mentioned.
Nio sub-brand Onvo's first model, the L60, is the first to be based on the NT 3.0 platform, with the ET9 being the second.
The second model of Nio sub-brand Onvo, the L90, is set to be officially unveiled at the 2025 Shanghai auto show, which starts in nine days.
Its third brand, Firefly, will officially launch its first model on April 19.
The screenshot also shows that Nio had planned to open the Nio World Model (NWM) to users at the end of April, but it was delayed due to regulatory approvals.
NWM is expected to become available to all eligible vehicles in mid to late May, at which point Nio's smart driving capabilities will be back among the top-tier players, according to the screenshot.
Nio announced on March 20 that it would open the NWM trial to pioneer users starting in early April, but only for Nio models with the Banyan system for vehicles based on the NT 2.0 platform.
After the trial is over, NWM would be open to all Banyan models, according to the company.
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