By Sam Boughedda
Chinese electric vehicle company NIO Inc. (NYSE:NIO) released its deliveries update for July on Monday, revealing it delivered 10,052 vehicles during the month, increasing by 26.7% year-over-year but falling 22% from the 12,961 delivered in June.
Following the announcement, a Morgan Stanley analyst, who has an Overweight rating and $31 price target on the stock, told investors in a research note that supply constraints "crimped" NIO's July sales, coming in at the low end of their forecast of 10k to 11k.
"July deliveries consisted of 7,579 units of ES8, ES6 and EC6 (-12% MoM) and 2,473 units of ET7 (-43% MoM). During the month, production of ET7 and EC6 were constrained by the supply of casting parts. NIO has been working closely with supply-chain partners and expects to accelerate vehicle production in the coming months," said the analyst. "We are looking for ~50% QoQ volume growth to 36-38k for NIO, implying a more significant sales upturn in August/September, driven by ET7 and ES7 and revamped ES8, ES6 and EC6."
The analyst added that there is also talk NIO could launch another sub-brand for vehicles priced below RMB 200k, following its second mass-market brand hitting the market in 2H24.
However, the analyst said that "although the company has provided no further detail, we think this is a nonevent until the group gives further clarity on its strategy. For now, execution in delivery still holds the key to restoring investor confidence in the wake of the suppressed July sales."
NIO shares are trading 4% higher Monday.