NIO Stock Climbs Overnight: EV Firm Outsells German Luxury Rivals In China Sales For First Time — CEO Hails Tesla’s Flying Roadster

CEO William Li praised Tesla’s flying Roadster, saying, “So impressive! This one we really don’t have.”

• Nio recorded 111,638 Q3 China terminal sales, surpassing BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi individually for the first time.
• Nio outsold each German manufacturer in eight provincial-level markets and 40 cities.
• Firefly plans to launch a 60-kWh CATL battery on Oct.23, offering a 560-kilometer CLTC range for new and existing owners.

U.S.-listed shares of Nio, Inc. (NIO) climbed nearly 1% overnight heading into Monday as the company reported its first quarterly China sales lead over BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi individually, while CEO William Li praised Tesla’s flying Roadster.

Nio’s U.S.-listed shares fell nearly 4% last week, marking their steepest weekly decline in two weeks.

NIO Outsells German Luxury Giants

Nio recorded 111,638 terminal sales in China during the third quarter (Q3), ChinaEVHome reported, citing Wilson data from co-founder and President Qin Lihong.

BMW Group recorded 107,210 vehicles, including MINI. Mercedes-Benz Group sold 99,592, including Maybach and Smart, while Audi recorded 94,597. Qin said it was the first quarter in which Nio surpassed all three manufacturers individually. The comparison covers Nio’s combined business across the main brand, Onvo and Firefly. 

The gains also extended across major premium-car markets. A company-shared breakdown showed NIO outselling each German manufacturer in eight provincial-level markets and 40 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong. Nio also surpassed two of the three manufacturers in another 24 cities and one in a further 30.

Tesla’s Flying Roadster Wins Nio CEO's Praise

Alongside Nio’s progress against German competitors, Li was enthusiastic about Tesla’s latest engineering demo on the Roadster. “So impressive! This one we really don’t have,” Li said on Weibo on Friday, sharing footage of the thruster-equipped Roadster and adding a thumbs-up to Tesla, EV noted.

The demo at SpaceX’s McGregor, Texas, test site showed the redesigned sports car driving upside down along a ramp, flipping through the air and jumping over other Tesla vehicles. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said production would begin in 2028.

Li’s response attracted attention after Chinese social-media users resurfaced an older remark attributed to him claiming Nio could match Tesla’s capabilities. However, the demo came with practical limits. Tesla says its single-seat Rocket version is invitation-only and not approved for public-road use. 

Firefly Targets Longer Trips With Battery Upgrade

Nio’s immediate product focus includes expanding the capabilities of its compact Firefly EV. The brand plans to introduce a 60-kWh CATL battery pack on Oct.23, offering a range of 560 kilometers under China’s CLTC testing standard. Firefly currently offers a 42.1-kWh pack.

Pu Yang, Firefly’s head of brand marketing, disclosed the plan at a user gathering in Zhengzhou on Friday, according to CnEVPost. Both new buyers and existing owners will be eligible for the larger battery, with details due at the launch event.

The additional capacity could broaden Firefly’s appeal for longer journeys beyond its core urban-driving market. The update also follows Firefly’s integration into Nio’s shared battery-swapping network in August. Fifth-gen stations support vehicles from all three brands, expanding the infrastructure available to Firefly owners. The brand also marked its 90,000th cumulative delivery in Zhengzhou on Friday, following a record September.

How Do Retail Traders Feel About NIO?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for NIO slipped to ‘bearish’ from ‘bullish’ levels a week ago amid ‘low’ message volume.

One user questioned, “$NIO can Nio reach their end of year target by selling an average of 55,000 cars  a month from Oct to end of Dec?”

View this Stocktwits post

Another user said, “$NIO Many models ranging from economy to luxury. Positive delivery trends. Capturing foreign imports market in China. Battery Swap / BAAS steadily being expanded & adopted. All good stuff. Far ahead from state of NIO when SP was last at today’s SP. HODl or Buy no brainer. Why sell when so low?”

View this Stocktwits post

Nio’s U.S.-listed stock has declined 33% year-to-date.

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