Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Since September, Tesla’s Model Y — the world’s best-selling model — has gained fresh competition in China with the launch of Huawei-Chery’s Luxeed R7, the Zeekr 7x, the Avatr 07, and the L60, the debut model from Nio’s first sub-brand, Onvo.
According to official data from the China Passenger Car Association, Tesla sold a total of 68,280 vehicles in China last month — 40,485 domestically and 27,795 exported. The Tesla Model Y continues to lead sales of fully electric SUVs in the country with 36,204 units registered in October.
Nio held the brand launch event of Onvo in May and deliveries of the first model started in late September. The L60’s standard-range variant, featuring a 60 kWh battery, is priced at 206,900 yuan ($29,050), while the long-range 85 kWh variant starts at 235,900 yuan ($33,120).
Amid the Guangzhou Auto Show, Onvo’s president Alan Ai spoke to local media where he defended the Onvo L60 as Model Y’s top alternative considering, “This validates our market positioning and user recognition” — according to the local media outlet Dongchedi.
Regarding the recent Reuters report that claimed that Nio’s Firefly brand would launch a extended range electric vehilce (EREV) in 2026, Alan Ai reiterated: “These are all misconceptions. Nio will not produce range-extended cars in China.”
According to Dongchedi, the executive named the décalage between China’s EV infrastructure and regions like the U.S., Southeast Asia, or the Middle East, in which the infrastructure is much less developed.
Reuters reported last week, citing two people familiar with the matter, that Nio is planning to launch a range-extended hybrid model to be sold exclusively in international markets, including the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.
Nio’s Associate Vice President for Brand and Communications, Ma Lin, also commented the report last week. In a post on the social media platform Weibo, the executive reiterated Nio’s commitment to battery swap technology.
“A battery swap station is like a gas station for electric vehicles. A battery swap station is like a range extender for electric vehicles. A battery swap station is a range station for electric vehicles. Which description is best? Battery swap stations are widespread; who needs a range extender?” the AVP wrote.
Commenting on potential internal competition between Nio’s Firefly and Onvo sub-brands, Alan Ai guaranteed the different market positions. “Onvo is for families, a comfortable family vehicle,” Ai explained. “Firefly, on the other hand, is a car you buy for yourself—it’s a car for personal joy and self-satisfaction.”
Despite setting an October delivery target of 5,000 units—its first full production month—Onvo delivered 4,319 units. By November 14, cumulative deliveries of the L60 had exceeded 7,000 units, six weeks after its market debut.
Also at the Auto Show, Alan Ai reiterated the ambitious goals for the brand, aiming to deliver over 10,000 units in December and surpass 20,000 units by March next year. “If these goals are not met, I will step down,” he said.
The executive stated that Onvo’s intelligent driving system is now available in over 726 cities and 2,700 county-level regions, with approximately 80% of delivered vehicle users activating the smart driving features.
Onvo’s chief executive has recently commented on the competition with Xiaomi’s debut SUV, the SU7, which reached 20,000 deliveries in October, seven months after starting nationwide deliveries.
Ai said he is confident that Onvo’s L60 model would surpass SU7’s production ramp-up, projecting over 20,000 units by the sixth month—one month ahead of Xiaomi’s timeline.
In October, Nio Group delivered a total of 20,976 electric vehicles including 4,319 units of its sub-brand Onvo and 16,657 vehicles of the Nio brand.
Onvo is planning to launch two new vehicles in 2025. A 6-7 seat SUV will be unveiled by the end of the first quarter with deliveries starting “around May” 2025.
A second model, which will be the brand’s first sedan, is planned to be unveiled in the second half of the year, the automotive blogger ThinkerCar said on X last week adding that the brand “will maintain a pace of launching one new vehicle annually in the future”.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
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