Nio and Xpeng Motors gear up to report June and Q2 deliveries amid the global chip shortage, as the Chinese EV startups stiffen their challenge to Tesla with new EV launches and initiatives. Nio stock rose amid meme-renewed stock traction.
Sales of Nio's premium electric SUVs nearly doubled in May on a year-over-year basis, after more than doubling in April. The emerging Tesla rival in China will have to deliver 7,187 electric SUVs in June to meet the low end of its target to deliver 21,000-22,000 EVs in the second quarter.
Year over year, Xpeng Motors' deliveries of its G3 electric SUV and P7 electric sedan jumped 285% in April and soared 483% in May. It hasn't given a Q2 delivery target.
Investors will also watch if Nio returns to month-over-month growth, after May sales fell vs. April. Tesla also slowed sharply in China last month vs. April.
Unlike Nio and Tesla, Xpeng grew May sales both year over year and month over month. It cites strong demand for electric vehicles, which boast features such as automatic lane changing.
Li Auto also will report June and Q2 sales.
New EVs Will Follow Key Moves This Week
On Wednesday, Nio stock was the most mentioned stock in r/WallStreetBets discussions on Reddit. Shares soared earlier this year on similar online buzz.
Meanwhile, both Nio and Xpeng are bringing new and more affordable EVs to market, hoping to shake Tesla's dominance in China. They're also accelerating on other fronts.
On July 9, Nio will hold a Nio Power Day event. It announced the event, focused on EV batteries and charging, earlier this week. And on Wednesday, U.S.-listed Xpeng said that a dual Hong Kong listing raised the equivalent of $1.8 billion, pricing at $42.52 per ADS. Shares are set to begin trading in Hong Kong July 7.
On Wednesday, local reports said that Nio added 11 battery swap stations to its charging network in China, taking the total on its network to 300. Nio sharply accelerated the pace of additions this week as it targets 500 battery swap stations in China by the end of 2021.
Also on Wednesday, reports said that Nio added more than 110 robots to its factory as a key new EV looms.
Nio Stock, Xpeng Motors Stock
Shares of Nio popped nearly 5% to 52.82 on the stock market today and are up roughly 17% so far this week on the Power Day news. Despite the recent rally, Nio stock remains 23% below its 52-week high. Xpeng stock lost 1.9% to 43.49, Li Auto added 1.8%, and Tesla picked up 1.2%.
Xpeng's new electric sedan, the P5, arriving by year end, will be the world's first EV with lidar technology, enabling highly autonomous driving capabilities, the company says. It's also likely to be a smaller and more affordable version of the current P7 sedan.
Meanwhile, Nio's fourth electric vehicle and first sedan, the ET7, arrives in Q1 2021. It's expected to cost less than Tesla's new Model S Plaid.
Tesla, which dominates China's premium EV market, reports Q2 deliveries later this week. It could deliver about 200,000 vehicles, according to reports, on the back of improving China demand.