Nio Shares Updates On Boosting Margins, ET7, Chip Shortage, Europe Expansion And More: What You Need To Know

Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio Inc NIO is looking to boost its gross margin to 25% in the coming years, the company executives told analysts in a post-earnings call on Tuesday.

What Happened: The maker of ES8 electric SUVs and the upcoming ET7 sedans said the target can be achieved if the company hits an annual production of 300,000 electric vehicles based on the NT2.0 (Nio technology) platform of electric vehicles.

“We should be able to average 25% gross profit margin in the long term with new product launches,” Nio executive told investors.

Nio reported a gross margin of 20.3% in the third quarter, compared with 12.9% a year ago and 18.6% in the second quarter of 2021.
Vehicle margin slipped from 20.3% to 18% sequentially but was higher than the 14.5% reported in the third quarter of 2020.

The electric vehicle maker also said it continues to look for possibilities to get a Hong Kong listing.

Here are a few key takeaways from Nio’s earnings call on Tuesday:

Chip Supply Better Than Q3: Nio said the chip supply situation is much better now than the third quarter but the challenge is still quite big and it's “very difficult to forecast” what is going to happen next. The electric vehicle maker said the battery is really a big constraint in terms of production and supply.

On ET7: Nio plans to start the delivery for ET7 in the first quarter of next year. The company also expects deliveries for two new models based on the NT2.0 platform to begin in the second half of next year.

Overseas Expansion: Nio said it would step up efforts in 2022 to enter more global markets after the recent debut in Norway where ES8 orders have exceeded expectations.  In Europe, it aims to enter five new markets.

About 92% of customers in Norway have chosen the battery as a service option.

Subsidy: Nio said its average selling price is quite high and considering that the subsidy is not going to be a very big amount when compared to the vehicle’s selling price, it would not have an impact.

HK Listing: Nio executives said the company is “open minded and is closely monitoring the market” for all possibilities to get listed in Hong Kong. 

Regulatory Credits: Nio said, unlike earlier, it was able to secure regulatory credits in the third quarter much ahead. 

Why It Matters: Nio has estimated deliveries would reach 23,500 to 25,500 units in the fourth quarter. The mid-point of that estimate is only 61 units more than Nio’s third-quarter deliveries of 24,439 electric vehicles.

The company had seen a hit in production last month due to plant upgradation. It expects a few more upgrades at the  JAC-NIO plant but said the impact would not be big.

Nio’s Hefei facility can make sedan and sport-utility vehicle models. Following all the ongoing expansion work and with extra operating shifts, the plant would be able to make up to 300,000 cars a year.

The automaker plans to add another 300,000 units of capacity from a second plant that is currently under construction and is expected to be completed next year.

Nio currently has three models on sale and plans to launch three new electric vehicles next year, including the already announced premium sedan ET7.

Price Action: Nio shares closed 5.93% lower at $40.64 a share on Tuesday and were further down 2.44% in after hours trading.

Photo: Courtesy of Nio