Chinese EV maker Nio says fourth-quarter loss widens, revenue guidance underwhelms

On Friday, the Shanghai-based company said its quarterly loss widened to 7.13 billion yuan (US$983.7 million) from 5.59 billion yuan a year earlier. Analysts, according to a Bloomberg poll, expected the company to report a loss of 5.53 billion yuan. Revenue rose 15 per cent to 19.7 billion yuan, which was lower than a 20.13 billion yuan consensus estimate.

“The competition landscape in the smart EV industry is evolving rapidly, making 2025 a critical year for the market reshaping,” William Li Bin, Nio’s founder, chairman and CEO, said in a post-earnings conference call. Nio would be able to unlock new revenue opportunities with nine new models across three brands this year, tech-driven cost optimisation and global expansion, he added.

For the first quarter, the company expects vehicle deliveries to rise 36 per cent to 43 per cent from a year earlier to 41,000 to 43,000 units. Revenues are expected to climb 25 per cent to 30 per cent to 12.37 billion yuan to 12.86 billion yuan. Analysts expect 17.85 billion yuan in revenue.

Li said the premium Nio brand would strengthen its market position by using more technology and experience-driven products, while the mass-market Onvo brand would focus on increasing its sales and product mix. The Firefly brand, which targets middle-income consumers on the mainland, would begin deliveries in April, acting as a driver of the firm’s global expansion.

“Looking ahead to 2025, we will sharpen our focus on enhancing profitability by driving cost reductions through technological advancements, optimising operational efficiency and accelerating scalable growth,” said Stanley Yu Qu, Nio’s chief financial officer.