Nio ES9 hits 30,000 deliveries in 119 days, with latest 10,000 taking 46 days

• The latest milestone implies Nio delivered 5,503 ES9 SUVs so far in September.
• The ES9 and ES8 together accounted for more than 80% of Nio's main-brand deliveries in August, making large electric SUVs a pillar of its sales.

Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) has reached 30,000 cumulative deliveries of its flagship ES9 SUV (sport utility vehicle), marking another sales milestone for the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker's premium lineup.

Nio founder, chairman and CEO William Li announced on Weibo on Wednesday that the ES9 reached the milestone in 119 days, less than 4 months after deliveries began.

Li handed over the 30,000th ES9 on Wednesday to He Yinjun, chairman of Chinese imaging software developer Insnex, in Suzhou, a city neighboring Shanghai, fulfilling the company's delivery expectations announced earlier this week.

The ES9 went on sale in China on May 27 with a starting price of 498,000 yuan ($73,810), including the battery pack, making it among the most expensive models from a domestic automaker.

Deliveries of the SUV began on May 28. Cumulative deliveries reached 10,000 on June 26 and 20,000 on August 8.

The latest milestone means the ES9's most recent 10,000 deliveries took 46 days. The model, alongside the slightly less expensive ES8, is helping underpin sales of the Nio main brand.

Cumulative ES9 deliveries stood at 24,497 at the end of August, according to data compiled by CnEVPost. The latest milestone implies 5,503 deliveries so far in September.

Nio delivered 6,479 ES9 SUVs in August, up 2.60% from July and accounting for 30.60% of its main-brand deliveries that month.

The ES9 and ES8 together delivered 17,480 vehicles in August, representing 82.55% of Nio's main-brand total and underscoring the importance of large electric SUVs to its lineup.

Just 3 days earlier, the third-generation ES8 reached 150,000 cumulative deliveries on the first anniversary of its launch, marking another milestone for Nio's large electric SUV business.

The 6-seat ES9 measures 5,365 mm in length and has a wheelbase of 3,250 mm. It features a 900-volt architecture and supports rapid battery swapping.

Nio is also expanding the ES9's delivery footprint. The model began deliveries in Macau on September 2, coinciding with the opening of Nio's first Nio House in the city.