Nio says it outsold BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi in China in a quarter for the first time. Co-founder and president Qin Lihong said on Oct. 17, 2026 that Nio's three brands (Nio, Onvo and Firefly) sold 111,638 vehicles in China in the third quarter, citing Wilson insurance-registration data.
The numbers Nio cited (Q3 2026, China)
- Nio, Onvo and Firefly combined: 111,638
- BMW including MINI: 107,210
- Mercedes-Benz including Maybach and smart: 99,592
- Audi: 94,597
Nio also said it outsold all three German makers in 8 provinces and 40 cities, including Beijing and Shanghai. These are Nio's selection of third-party data, not regulatory filings.
The cheaper brands made the difference
Nio's own Q3 deliveries were 109,178: 62,500 for the Nio brand, 27,728 for Onvo and 18,950 for Firefly, according to GlobalChinaEV's breakdown of the company's monthly reports. Onvo and Firefly's 46,678 is more than ten times the 4,428-car lead over BMW in Qin's figures.
The ranking also depends on whose data is used. BMW reported 114,355 BMW and MINI deliveries in its China region in Q3, down 24.8%, which is above both of Nio's figures, though the counts are compiled differently. Mercedes-Benz Cars said its China sales fell 31% to 86,800, so Nio stays ahead of Mercedes on either basis, GlobalChinaEV and TIKR note.
Next: a bigger Firefly battery on Oct. 23
Firefly plans to launch a 60 kWh CATL battery on Thursday, Oct. 23, raising CLTC range to 560 km from 420 km on the current 42.1 kWh pack. New buyers and existing owners will be eligible, with details due at the launch event, Gate News reports, citing CnEVPost.
Nio's shares slipped 1.17% to $3.39 on Oct. 19, the first trading session after the claim, and are down 33.53% in 2026, according to TIKR.
Related: Nio CEO William Li on paying for autonomous driving.