Nio App sees major changes to vehicle configurator, here are latest model wait times

Nio App's vehicle configurator now available for only 5 models, and the ET7 wait time is back on display.

(Screenshot on April 21.)

The vehicle configurator on Nio's (NYSE: NIO) Chinese mobile app sees significant changes, following the company's launch of the new ES6 and the 2023 ET7 at the Shanghai auto show.

Nio's website currently showcases seven models -- the new ES8, ES7, new ES6, EC7, EC6, ET7, and ET5.

All models are new based on the NT 2.0 platform, except for the EC6, which is an older model based on the NT 1.0 platform.

In the vehicle configurator of Nio App, only 5 models are available -- the new ES8, ES7, EC7, ET7, ET5, while the configurators of the new ES6 and the NT 1.0 EC6 are not available.

On the first day of the Shanghai auto show on April 18, Nio launched the new ET7 and unveiled the new ES6.

The 2023 ET7 is already taking order lock-ins, with deliveries starting in mid-May. The new ES6 started to take pre-orders, but the official launch and delivery will be late May, William Li, Nio founder, chairman and CEO, said at the time in a brief launch event.

Previously, the Nio website and app are showing eight models, including the ES8, ES6 and EC6 based on the NT 1.0 platform, and the new ES8, ES7, EC7, ET7 and ET5 based on the NT 2.0 platform.

The all-new ES8 currently shows an expected delivery date of June, in line with the previous one. The model was unveiled at the Nio Day event on December 24 last year and has not yet started taking order lock-ins.

The ES7 currently has a wait time of 3-5 weeks, consistent with the previous information. The model was launched on June 15, 2022, and deliveries began on August 28.

The EC7 currently has a wait time of about 4 weeks. The model was unveiled at last year's Nio Day event on December 24 and began allowing consumers to lock in their orders on April 6.

Deliveries of custom vehicles for the EC7 will begin in mid-May, Nio said on April 6.

Wait time for the ET7 is back on display and currently stand at about 4 weeks. On March 13, the Nio App stopped displaying expected delivery times for the ET7.

On April 18, Nio launched the 2023 ET7 at the Shanghai auto show, and began accepting order lock-ins. Deliveries of the model are expected to begin in mid-May, Li said at the time.

The ET5 currently has a wait time of about 2 weeks, in line with the previous one.

In the first half of this year, Nio will introduce more new products to accelerate the pace from product launch to delivery, the company's management said in a call with analysts after announcing fourth-quarter earnings early last month.

The company will also begin deliveries of its fifth new model this year in July, which would be a month later than originally planned, Li said on the call.

Nio's supply chain and manufacturing teams were actively preparing for the new model switchover and production ramp-up to ensure capacity and supply meet the increased demand for new products, the company said at the time.

The company's main model delivered in the first quarter was the ET5, which is a lower-margin model, so the pressure on gross margin in the first quarter was relatively high, Li said.

(Vehicle configurator in the Nio App. Screenshot on April 21.)