During the 2026 NIO Partner Day, NIO Inc. founder, chairman, and CEO Li Bin projected that pure electric vehicles (EVs) will achieve a market penetration rate exceeding 80% in China's new car market by the year 2030.

In specific terms, new energy vehicles (NEVs) are expected to surpass a 90% penetration rate in the Chinese new car market, with pure electric models accounting for over 90% of the NEV segment.

Data from the China Passenger Car Association indicates that in May 2026, NEVs reached a penetration rate of 62.9% in China's new car market, with pure electric vehicles constituting 67.1% of that figure. Among the four powertrain types—internal combustion engine, extended-range, plug-in hybrid, and pure electric—only pure electric vehicles recorded positive year-on-year growth, with retail sales hitting 637,000 units, a figure seven times greater than that of extended-range vehicles.

Within specific market segments, pure electric models in the large three-row SUV category have consistently ranked first in sales across all energy types for nine consecutive months, outperforming extended-range SUVs. In May, sales of large five-seat pure electric SUV models increased by 213% month-over-month. A McKinsey survey reveals that 60% of extended-range and plug-in hybrid vehicle owners are considering switching to a pure electric vehicle for their next purchase.

The rapid growth in pure electric vehicle sales is attributed to the strong performance of key flagship models. The NIO Inc. ES9 achieved deliveries of 10,000 units within 30 days of its launch, setting a new record for a premium pure electric vehicle in the 500,000-yuan price segment. The NIO Inc. ES8 has reached a cumulative delivery milestone of 120,000 units and has remained the sales leader in the large SUV and vehicles priced above 400,000 yuan categories for six consecutive months.