NIO delivers record 15,815 vehicles in Dec, including 7,594 ET5s

NIO delivered 7,594 ET5s, 1,379 ET7s and 4,154 ES7s in December.

NIO (NYSE: NIO) delivered a record 15,815 vehicles in December, as deliveries of the ET5 increased significantly, according to figures released by the company today.

This represents a 50.78 percent increase over the 10,489 vehicles delivered in the same month last year and an 11.55 percent increase over the 14,178 vehicles delivered in November.

That delivery volume included 6,842 SUVs, including 4,154 ES7s, according to the company. This means that ES7 deliveries in December were 15.17 percent lower than the 4,897 units delivered in November.

NIO delivered 8,973 sedans in December, including 1,379 ET7s and 7,594 ET5s.

Deliveries of the ET7 decreased 57 percent from 3,207 units in November, but the ET5 increased 155.86 percent from 2,968 units in November.

NIO delivered 40,052 vehicles in the fourth quarter, an increase of 59.99 percent year-on-year, achieving a record quarterly delivery volume. This is above the upper end of the company's guidance range, which was lowered earlier this week.

NIO delivered a total of 122,486 vehicles in 2022, an increase of 34 percent year-on-year.

As of December 31, 2022, cumulative deliveries of NIO vehicles reached 289,556.

On December 27, NIO lowered its guidance for fourth-quarter deliveries, blaming the Covid outbreak for delivery and production challenges.

The company now expects to deliver 38,500 to 39,500 vehicles in the fourth quarter, down from its previously issued guidance of 43,000 to 48,000, NIO said in a statement at the time.

In December, NIO has been facing delivery and production challenges coupled with certain supply chain constraints caused by an outbreak of a variant of the Omicron coronavirus in a major Chinese city, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

NIO guided for fourth-quarter deliveries of 43,000 to 48,000 units when it reported its third-quarter report in November, meaning it would have to deliver at least 18,763 units in December to reach the lower end of the guidance range.

Notably, NIO saw its 300,000th production vehicle roll off the line on December 12. The company's co-founder and president, Qin Lihong, said at an event that delivery of NIO's 300,000th vehicle is expected to be around January 1.

Considering NIO's cumulative deliveries reached 273,741 units as of November 30, Qin's remarks implied that the company's management was then expecting deliveries to reach about 26,000 units in December.

However, the day after Qin's remarks, major cities, including Shanghai, began relaxing their Covid controls on December 13, and a large number of infections arrived.