The retail pilot could tap Nio’s 4,230 Chinese swap stations, while a pending agreement would give Geely 30% of Nio Power.
- Videos reportedly showed a robot offering drinks, snacks, and essentials at swap stations.
- An ES8 special edition is reportedly planned for the Guangzhou Auto Show opening on Nov. 27.
- October deliveries fell 15% to 34,246, ending a 31-month growth streak.
U.S.-listed shares of Nio, Inc. (NIO) rose 1% overnight heading into Tuesday, with videos pointing to a robot retail trial at its battery swap stations and a report flagging a new ES8 special edition later this month.
Nio’s U.S.-listed stock fell nearly 1% to $3.19, posting its second straight loss.
Retail Robots Bring Shopping To Battery Swaps
Nio is testing a way for drivers to shop while their batteries are swapped, according to videos shared by Chinese auto bloggers and reported by EV. The footage shows a Nio Power-branded robot beside a refrigerated cabinet filled with drinks and snacks. A blogger said that the products came from Nio Life, the company’s lifestyle brand, while a station sign advertised a retail trial offering drinks, snacks and daily essentials.
“In the three minutes it takes to get a full battery, you can also buy a cup of coffee or other snacks,” A Weibo creator said. “This robot is a bit ugly, but otherwise there’s nothing wrong with it,” they added. Nio had not officially announced the pilot, and its scale and start date remained undisclosed.
ES8 Lineup Could Get A Fresh Look This Month
Nio is reportedly preparing an ES8 special edition for the Guangzhou Auto Show, which opens Nov.27. The edition is expected to feature new colors and design details, though pricing and specifications remain undisclosed.
The current ES8 comes in five, six and seven-seat configurations, priced from 382,800 yuan (57,578 ) to 446,800 yuan including the battery. Prices fall to between 274,800 yuan and 338,800 yuan under its battery rental plan.
The model is a key sales driver. Nio said the third-gen ES8 reached 160,000 cumulative deliveries last month and led retail sales in China’s large-SUV segment during the first ten months of 2026.
SUV Sales And Swap-Network Deals In Focus
Nio’s ES9 reached 3,000 cumulative deliveries in Shanghai after five full months of deliveries and led the city’s sales of vehicles above 500,000 yuan for four consecutive months. Launched in May at 498,000 yuan including the battery, the flagship and ES8 together accounted for 85.6% of main-brand deliveries in September.
Meanwhile, the retail pilot could add a sales channel across Nio’s 4,230 Chinese swap stations, including 1,077 on highways, which had handled more than 129.7 million swaps as of Oct.31. The setup resembles a 2024 patent for delivering purchases before a swap ends and follows earlier coffee trials and Coca-Cola station ads.
Separately, a September agreement would give Geely 30% of Nio Power in exchange for its Yiyi Power business and 640 million yuan in cash.
October Deliveries End Nio’s Growth Streak
The updates come after Nio’s first year-on-year delivery decline in 32 months. October deliveries fell 15.23% to 34,246, as weakness at Onvo outweighed gains at Firefly and the main Nio brand, whose deliveries rose 5.73% to 18,125.
Despite the slowdown, total deliveries through October reached 334,547, up 38.5% from a year earlier.
How Do Retail Traders Feel About NIO?
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for NIO has been ‘bearish’ since a week amid ‘normal’ message volume.
One user said, “$NIO the only thing separating nio from great success is Onvo starting to sell and successfully expanding to key markets. They flopped on these 2 fronts and need a much better execution there.”
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Another user said, “$NIO Keep missing guidance, and even revived guidance. 40k was said each month for Q4. Main brand also declining, where the profit lies. Add in that the market is all about AI, this thing is as good as done.”
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Nio’s U.S.-listed stock has declined 37% year-to-date.
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