Flagship Executive SUV NIO ES9 Officially Launched

May 27, 2026, Beijing, China - NIO officially launched its flagship executive SUV, the NIO ES9. The Executive Premium Edition starts at RMB 498,000, or RMB 390,000 with the Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) subscription plan. The Executive Signature Edition starts at RMB 558,000, or RMB 450,000 with BaaS. The Horizon Edition starts at RMB 628,000, or RMB 520,000 with BaaS. Deliveries of the ES9 will begin on May 28 in China.

The ES9 arrives at a defining moment for both the premium automotive market and the next chapter of battery electric mobility. Backed by NIO’s long-term investment and innovation in battery electric vehicles, as well as charging and swapping infrastructure, the advantages of battery electric vehicles continue to expand, while the compromises traditionally associated with charging convenience continue to diminish. This year, NIO plans to deploy more than 1,000 new Power Swap Stations and will begin large-scale rollout of its fifth-generation stations in the third quarter, making long-distance EV travel more seamless and convenient than ever. As a breakthrough product across every dimension of user experience, the ES9 is poised to accelerate the shift toward full electrification in the premium market and redefine the flagship executive SUV segment.

Pioneering a new category of smart electric flagship executive SUVs, the ES9 also represents the culmination of 11 years of innovation across NIO’s six core systemic capabilities: full-stack R&D, innovative supply chains, advanced manufacturing, lifecycle quality management, smart power, and comprehensive user services. Featuring more than 40 industry-first technologies, the ES9 sets a new benchmark for technology and experience in the smart electric flagship executive SUV segment.

At the launch event, NIO ES9 Chief Experience Officer Yao Ming shared his firsthand experience with the vehicle. Created for leaders of a new era, the ES9 is designed to accompany those with vision and action to explore beyond horizons.

A Flagship in Original Design

Confident, commanding, and unmistakably poised, the ES9 represents the pinnacle of NIO’s original design philosophy and a bold exploration of how Chinese culture can elevate the aesthetics of high-technology products. With an overall length of 5,365 mm and a wheelbase of 3,250 mm, the ES9 is the most spacious battery electric SUV developed in China. Its signature lighting combines the new Double-Dash daytime running lights, intelligent high-definition projection headlights, and the longest taillight in its class, creating a striking visual identity. Inside, the Sky Island and the Executive Console layout forms an open yet exclusive cabin. The Horizon Edition is available in two exterior themes, Dawncrest and Starscape. Inspired by traditional Chinese landscape painting, the interior features Su embroidery, a time-honored intangible cultural heritage, with nearly 400,000 stitches woven into a rivers-and-mountains motif, bringing the beauty of nature into the cabin.

A Flagship in Space

The ES9 delivers class-leading passenger and cargo space, creating an experience beyond what traditional MPVs can offer. It features the segment’s longest cabin length at 2,805 mm, over 1.5 meters of second-row legroom, and more than 1 meter of headroom across all three rows, complemented by a dedicated panoramic glass roof stretching 2 meters in length. The ES9 also offers 816 liters of storage capacity, comfortably accommodating six passengers and 13 suitcases, along with a 216-liter smart front trunk designed for everyday usability. Smart power doors and ultra-wide side steps come standard across the lineup, making every entry and exit effortless and elegant.

A Flagship in Premium Comfort

Through a series of innovative technologies, the ES9 creates a truly elevated experience for personal relaxation, executive travel, social hosting, and mobile productivity. The second-row zero-gravity executive seats feature a continuous 2.3-meter cushion surface and a 42-point full-body massage system, delivering exceptional comfort and relaxation. The world’s first array-based liquid crystal (LC) smart dimming windows can transition in just 17 milliseconds, instantly creating a fully private environment isolated from light, sound, and outside distractions. At the center of the cabin is NIO’s original Executive Console, integrating dual 16-inch executive screens, a high-definition conferencing system, and a bespoke magnetic tea tray, enabling business meetings and executive hospitality to happen naturally and elegantly on the move.

A Flagship in Sound

Equipped with the LYRA 9.2.4.8 Sound System, the NIO ES9 sets a new benchmark for in-cabin acoustic experience. Pioneering a native acoustic layout with industry-leading 47 speakers and up to 3,020W rated power, it delivers extraordinary sonic immersion. The industry-first end-to-end high-resolution audio system, paired with the industry’s first 100% diamond dome tweeters, reproduces sound with exceptional clarity and true-to-life details. With more than 150 wind-noise optimizations and advanced Active Road Noise Cancellation (ARNC) system as standard across the lineup, the ES9 achieves outstanding NVH performance. Certified by three Dolby technologies, the ES9 further elevates the on-board audio-visual experience to an entirely new level.

A Flagship in Intelligence

Designed for a new era, the ES9 features the world’s first 5 nm automotive-grade smart driving chip NX9031, along with the next-generation digital architecture and the AI-powered full-domain operating system NIO OS. The ES9 also brings the industry’s only mass-produced 5D immersive cabin, orchestrating over one hundred capabilities for a truly multisensory experience. NOMI has also evolved, with comprehensive upgrades in intent understanding and task execution capabilities. To ensure every intelligent interaction remains secure and reliable, the ES9 also features an end-to-end security architecture spanning hardware, systems, data, and applications.

A Flagship in Smart Driving

The NIO ES9 redefines mobility with a reassuring and highly efficient smart driving experience. Integrating 31 high-performance sensing units, the ES9 offers Cedar AQUILA Super Sensing as standard, bringing all-weather, all-direction environmental awareness across the board. Powered by the NIO WorldModel (NWM), the smart driving system continuously evolves with enhanced generalization capability. This time, its capabilities have been further updated to handle dynamic traffic conditions such as tidal lanes and reversible lanes, delivering a more human-like and reliable Navigate on Pilot Plus (NOP+) experience across diverse driving scenarios.

A Flagship in Safety

The ES9 adopts a super cage body design and comes standard with up to 12 airbags, establishing a flagship-level passive safety foundation. Integrating active and passive safety technologies, the ES9 offers the industry’s first model-based Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) and Automatic Emergency Steering (AES), and omnidirectional collision mitigation, capable of proactively raising the vehicle body within 0.7 seconds to help resist impact. From powertrain, braking, steering, sensing, computing, communication, to power distribution, the ES9 incorporates seven layers of flagship-grade safety redundancies, redefining all-domain safety from physical protection to risk prediction.

A Flagship in Driving and Riding

The ES9 delivers flagship-level performance and a top-tier driving experience with the SkyRide Intelligent Chassis. At its core is the world’s first 48V integrated hydraulic fully active suspension system. Compared with split-type architectures, it excels in five dimensions: faster response, more precise control, reduced noise, lower energy consumption, and broader scenario adaptability. The system effectively suppresses pitch and body roll, creating a ride as smooth as cruising through stratosphere. Having been mass-produced for over a year, the technology has demonstrated proven maturity and reliability. The system also incorporates China’s first mass-produced steer-by-wire system certified by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, delivering easier and more precise steering control. Rear-wheel steering further enables an exceptionally tight 5.4-meter turning radius, giving the commanding ES9 agility comparable to a compact sedan. 
Built on a new-generation all-domain 900V high-voltage architecture for highly efficient energy replenishment with 5C ultra-fast charging and 3-minute battery swapping, the ES9 achieves up to 620 km of driving range, and 0 to 100 km/h acceleration in just 4.3 seconds. The industry-first Intelligent Terrain Control proactively adapts to complex road conditions, empowering users to explore every scenario with confidence.

According to William Li, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of NIO, “As the culmination of NIO’s 11-year systemic innovation, the NIO ES9 created the smart electric flagship executive SUV category, setting a new benchmark in the segment.” 

 

About NIO

NIO is a global smart electric vehicle company founded in November 2014. Dedicated to shaping a sustainable and brighter future together by providing high-performance smart electric vehicles and exceptional user experiences, NIO is the first car company listed on the NYSE, HKEX and SGX. NIO currently has three major brands under its umbrella: NIO, ONVO and firefly.

Ten years into establishment, NIO is now one of the leading companies in the global premium smart electric vehicle market, committed to fostering its own research and development capabilities for core technologies, the company had filed for and obtained over 13,000 patents. Additionally, NIO has developed NIO Full Stack, a collection of 12 technology domains.

Currently, NIO has R&D centers and manufacturing facilities in over 10 locations, including Shanghai, Hefei, Beijing, Nanjing, San Jose, Munich, Oxford, Budapest, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi. Additionally, it has built a sales and service network across 24 countries and regions, including China, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and Central America.

NIO Inc. currently offers eight premium smart electric vehicle models under the NIO brand, two smart electric vehicle under the ONVO brand and one small, smart, high-end electric vehicle under firefly brand. As of April 30, 2026, NIO Inc.’s cumulative deliveries reached 1,110,413 vehicles, reinforcing its position as a leader in advancing technological innovation and premium brand development in China’s smart EV industry.