Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.Sometimes the best marketing is making your celebrity customer waitEven being the face of Nio's newest SUV wasn't enough to get Yao Ming an early delivery. The NBA Hall of Famer ordered an ES9 on launch night, but because he completed his purchase a few minutes after orders opened, he ended up waiting nearly two months like everyone else. You'd think being Nio's brand ambassador would earn a shortcut. It didn't. Nio founder William Li later explained on Weibo that Yao simply joined the queue after thousands of earlier buyers. Rules, it seems, were rules, even for China's most famous sportsperson. Luxury brands often make celebrities wait to preserve fairness and exclusivity. But what's unusual here is seeing that same dynamic play out in China's EV market.What Everyone Is Queuing ForNioView the 2 images of this gallery on the original articleAdvertisementAdvertisementThe reason is simple. The ES9 has become Nio's biggest hit in years. The premium electric SUV combines 697 horsepower, a 900-volt electrical architecture, and available battery swapping. It's exactly the kind of car Nio needed to push it upmarket. The ES9 starts at $73,350 with the battery included, or $57,450 if you'd rather rent the pack through Nio's swap subscription. For now, the ES9 stays China-only, unlike the smaller ES8, which already sells in parts of Europe.Nio's premium push is seemingly working. The brand hit nearly 36,000 deliveries in July alone, up 71 percent year on year, and the average transaction price climbed to roughly $64,000 in July. That's not small-hatchback money, and it's the ES9 and its sibling ES8 doing the heavy lifting.Nio's Real Problem Is a Good One To HavePhoto by Bloomberg on Getty ImagesSince deliveries began in May, Nio hit its 10,000th ES9 delivery by late June and expects the 20,000th this week. Top-spec wait times have eased from 16 to 17 weeks down to 13 to 14, while the base version moves in three to four weeks. Deutsche Bank pegged non-cancelable orders above 25,000 back in June and has since raised its full-year forecast to 56,000 units. Against that backdrop, Yao's two-month wait looks almost like a fast lane. Giving Yao preferential treatment might have pleased one customer, but it would have irritated thousands of paying buyers already waiting in line. By treating its celebrity ambassador like everyone else (whether it was staged or real is up for debate), Nio avoided sending the wrong message at a time when demand is outstripping supply. AdvertisementAdvertisementThis story was originally published by Autoblog on Aug 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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