- Nio showed up to CES 2026 with the ET9 Horizon Edition.
- China’s market is crowded with many EV brands, many of them not turning a profit.
- Nio says that focusing on branding and customer experience is the way to stand out in a very crowded market.
There are a lot of car brands in China—too many of them. Despite the scale of China’s car market and its level of innovation, a reset is bound to happen soon. Many of these car companies are either going to naturally fail, or combine, or probably be sunsetted at the behest of the state, but at least right now, it’s not entirely clear which ones will be the ones to go.
But as the number of auto brands inevitably declines, what determines exactly what consumers will get to choose at the end of the day? I brought this up with representatives from Nio, the tech-savvy Chinese carmaker famous for its battery-swapping technology, at CES 2026.
Nio came to the show with the Nio ET9 Horizon Edition, its most expensive car ever, and showcased its Dolby Atmos sound system. There, Ted Li, the head of Nio product experience, said the company isn’t worried when the chips start to fall.
Nio ET9
Photo by: Kevin Williams/InsideEVs
Nio thinks focusing on “brand” is what separates the wheat from the chaff and will be how it weathers an impending storm. And yeah, Dolby Atmos is kind of part of that.
“William [Li] started [Nio] having a vision, not as a car company,” said Li, who is not related to Nio’s founder. “That’s very important. The core and the starting point of this journey is actually marching toward an end point of holistic experience.”
He was referring both to the ET9 at the show and answering the question as to just how Nio sees itself remaining relevant in China, and, in turn, the world.
InsideEVs has driven the ET9 before. Both Patrick George and I were impressed with just how much well-executed tech the car had—and yes, the ET9 is the “dancing car” you’ve probably seen blow up your social media feed. The Bose-inspired predictive suspension, being the car’s pièce de résistance, was able to absorb bumps and iron out body motions with an almost alien and slightly unnerving level of composure and flatness.
The same suspension tech can be used for an experience that Nio says is “5D,” in which the car moves its body around (while parked) in concert with on what’s going on on the infotainment screen. Add in Dolby Atmos’s 3D spatial sound, and you’ll find a six-figure luxury doing of the most out-of-left-field impressions of an amusement park ride. At least, one that has massaging seats and tufted leather on every surface. It’s delightfully over-the-top.
Experiences like this are what Li insists will drive more sales. He insisted that too many car brands, including Western ones, draw comparisons to Apple products, but fail to really consider what a brand means outside of tech gizmos and gadgets. How do those parts work as a whole? What kind of experience is the brand offering to its clientele, either existing or desired?
Many Chinese cars are technically impressive. For example, the Nio ET9 competes with the Huawei-backed Maextro S800. The two cars are also competing against cars like the BYD-based Yangwang U7. Even on the lower end of Nio’s sedan and crossover models, it’s not hard to find competitive EVs, PHEVs and EREV from brands like Zeekr, Xiaomi, Xpeng and more.
I’ve had similar conversations with other Chinese brand managers, like Zeekr’s Andy An, who said in 2024 that, for the most part, Chinese consumers are generally satisfied with the range, speed and charging ability of their EVs.
Thus, automakers need to find other draws to bring in consumers. Batteries that can reach 80% in less than 15 minutes are common now in China. What else can you do? Based on my time in China, it seems like Nio has always tried to be on the cutting edge there.
It was one of the first to start the almost airline-lounge style Nio House user experience centers for owners. I’ve experienced them, from the services they offer (like children’s play areas, or co-working spaces) to the snacks and refreshments they serves in their cafes. There’s a level of cohesion that I don’t think I’ve ever seen from any other car brand. Xiaomi or Huawei’s tech store-style sales channels won’t give you this sort of white-glove premium treatment.
Nio’s branding and holistic approach are strong and evident, but it’s still not entirely clear if it will pay off. Nio has had some wins in its home market lately with the relatively strong sales of the ES8 large EV crossover. It also plans to launch a Range Rover-sized ES9, which will be its largest and most luxurious crossover yet. But it’s openly struggled with profitability, with a stock price that has struggled to clear $5 per share within the past year.
Nio’s performance in European markets has been weak, with high prices making its EVs uncompetitive against models from Audi and BMW. Nio does operate its Nio House user centers in some European cities, but the experience hasn’t been enough to sway buyers to get more drivers to purchase a Nio car.
Nio ES8
Photo by: Nio
Still, the brand has been reorganizing its operations to get more right-brained people to buy into its aspirations as a lifestyle brand. When the all-new ES8 was launched in the middle of 2025, Nio cut prices while adding more standard equipment, making the crossover more attractive to buyers. Also, Nio’s premium small car brand, Firefly, follows many of the same principles as Nio, but in a package that’s smaller and cheaper.
(Nio) Firefly (2025)
Photo by: Kevin Williams/InsideEVs
Whatever the case, Nio has a lot of work to do to stay relevant in a hugely competitive EV market, both in China and across the globe. Yet this speaks volumes about how advanced the Chinese EV sector really is: people are so satisfied with the electric status quo that cars have to dance to stand out. Meanwhile, in the U.S., automakers are still trying to convince buyers that they can do an electric road trip without having to call AAA.
Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com
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