Li Bin’s Two-Hour Interview on ONVO L90: Order Data Kept Confidential, Already the Fastest Production Ramp-Up Vehicle
The ONVO L90 may be NIO’s new launching point, with several new models waiting in line.
CheCheDongXi reported on August 1st that after the ONVO L90 announced its final pricing and officially began deliveries last night, three core executives from NIO and ONVO accepted interviews from multiple media outlets including CheCheDongXi this morning.
The three executives were: NIO founder, chairman, and CEO Li Bin; NIO co-founder and president Qin Lihong; and NIO senior vice president and ONVO president Shen Fei.
During over two hours of discussion, Li Bin and the two executives talked about many topics of concern, but regarding the L90’s order numbers after 9:30 PM last night, Li Bin remained tight-lipped and didn’t reveal specifics.
CheCheDongXi also inquired about this topic from another angle, asking about the L90’s production capacity preparation and whether it could meet supply demands. Li Bin finally smiled and said that the ONVO L90 is NIO’s fastest production ramp-up vehicle model.
The interview covered many topics including the L90’s market performance, pricing logic, technical roadmap, and future product planning. Discussions also involved sales expectations, profit potential, product positioning, technical advantages, and NIO’s brand strategy.
Here are the key takeaways:
01. L90 Market Performance and User Feedback
From the executives’ comments, it’s clear that L90 orders have definitely exceeded expectations since the launch event, though specific numbers weren’t disclosed. They only mentioned that delivery preparations are well underway.
Li Bin also mentioned that suppliers contacted him last night about inventory preparations, showing his confidence.
02. L90 Pricing and Cost Control
The L90’s pricing logic is based on balancing cost targets with profit margins, while considering market competition and user demands.
Cost optimization is achieved through technological accumulation, supply chain strategies, and platform reuse, allowing the L90 to maintain price advantages while ensuring quality.
When asked about a 60kWh battery version, Li Bin and Qin Lihong said that while not mentioned at the launch, it’s technically feasible and may be introduced based on user demand.
03. L90’s Technical Route and Industry Impact
Li Bin maintains that NIO’s pure electric route offers significant advantages in space, cost, and convenience.
He believes that as infrastructure improves and user habits change, large three-row SUVs will gradually enter the pure electric era, with the ONVO L90 and NIO’s new ES8 potentially leading this trend.
04. NIO Brand and Product Layout
The multi-brand strategy differentiates products, with NIO, ONVO, and Firefly targeting different user groups. ONVO focuses on family vehicles, while NIO leans toward business and personalized needs.
ONVO will introduce models like the L80, continuing the L90’s successful approach, while NIO will launch the new ES8 as a strategic product.
05. Brand Philosophy and User Value
Li Bin emphasized ONVO’s positioning with “family joy” as the core concept, dedicated to providing excellent travel experiences for families.
This is supported by a “family value formula” (family joy/wise household management) that measures product value while emphasizing user experience improvement and cost control.
06. Market Competition and Brand Strategy
Regarding the emergence of three-row pure electric vehicles in the industry, Li Bin believes most brands haven’t fully solved space utilization and practicality issues.
ONVO’s differentiation strategy involves achieving breakthroughs in space design, lightweighting, and intelligence through technological innovation and engineering capabilities.
07. Future Outlook and Challenges
When asked about NIO’s Q4 profitability target, Li Bin said the L90 has reasonable profit margins at current pricing, and NIO will achieve profitability through improved operational efficiency.
However, the L90 still faces intense market competition, requiring continuous optimization of product strength and user experience while maintaining brand differentiation.
08. Brand Positioning and “Luxury” Definition
When asked whether ONVO qualifies as a luxury brand, Li Bin said NIO aims to create products users consider “most worthwhile,” regardless of price range, with user needs as the core goal.
He believes users will “vote with their money” and won’t be misled by brand-added labels, so brands should directly explain product value rather than rely on marketing terminology.
09. Standard Feature Advantages
Regarding the L90’s many standard features, Li Bin and Qin Lihong see multiple benefits: reducing user decision burden, simplifying supply chain management, and improving delivery efficiency by enabling “launch-day delivery.”
10. L90 Launch Delivery Situation
Regarding last night’s “overnight store deliveries,” Shen Fei confirmed that some existing inventory was indeed sold. Some delivery centers even put “sold” labels on windshields.
However, this doesn’t mean all inventory is sold out. While some existing cars were sold, overall order numbers far exceed inventory, requiring further order-inventory matching.
Conclusion
From last night’s launch to this morning’s interview, Li Bin, Qin Lihong, and Shen Fei appeared both excited and cautious, as this is a battle they cannot afford to lose.
Among the three executives, Li Bin appeared most optimistic while Shen Fei was most cautious, even showing some minor disagreements, such as when discussing pre-order data before 9:30 PM yesterday – Li Bin thought it was better than expected, while Shen Fei felt it wasn’t very exceeding expectations.