Key Points
Nio reported about 35,500 vehicle deliveries in March, helping it beat first-quarter guidance.
Nio's performance was much more impressive than its Chinese competitors.
Investors see steadily growing deliveries resulting in sustained profitability.
- 10 stocks we like better than Nio ›
Nio (NYSE: NIO) shares popped again this morning, a day after they surged nearly 10% higher in anticipation of its March delivery numbers. Those numbers impressed investors, and the stock jumped as much as 5.5% this morning.
At 10:56 a.m. ET, shares had pared some of those gains but were still up by 1.4%.
Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »
Image source: The Motley Fool.
Sustained profitability
Yesterday's anticipatory rally in Nio stock came with the company reporting its first-ever quarterly profit earlier in March. Record Q4 deliveries drove that profit, and investors were looking to see whether Nio could continue the surge in EV sales.
Its March report of 35,486 units shipped represented 136% year-over-year growth. First-quarter shipments nearly doubled versus last year. That sharp growth has investors thinking profitability could be sustained. While there are seasonal variations, Nio's EV deliveries have been steadily increasing over the past several years. Below is a chart of monthly deliveries since 2021.
Data source: Nio. Chart by author.
Today's stock move higher also reflects how Nio is doing compared to its Chinese competitors. XPeng reported that March deliveries declined 17% versus last year, while Li Auto saw an increase of just 12% year over year.
Nio stock has been rallying this year, and that trend could continue if increasing deliveries lead to another profitable quarterly report.
Should you buy stock in Nio right now?
Before you buy stock in Nio, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Nio wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $518,530!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,069,165!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 915% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 183% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of April 1, 2026.
Howard Smith has positions in Nio. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
