- The Onvo L90 has a pre-sales starting price of RMB 279,900 ($39,000), including an 85-kWh battery pack.
- The Onvo L90 will be officially launched at the end of this month, with deliveries beginning on August 1. Li Auto will launch its first pure electric SUV on July 29.
Onvo, Nio’s (NYSE: NIO) sub-brand targeting the family car market, has begun pre-sales of its flagship three-row SUV (sport utility vehicle) model L90, marking the start of its direct head-to-head competition with local peer Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI).
The Shanghai-based electric vehicle (EV) maker announced the start of L90 pre-sales at a technology launch event in Hefei, Anhui province – the city of its two factories — on July 10. The official launch is scheduled for the end of this month, with deliveries beginning on August 1.
The L90’s pre-sales starting price including an 85-kWh battery pack is RMB 279,900 ($39,000), lower than many had anticipated, despite Nio founder, chairman, and CEO William Li stating earlier this month that the model’s starting price would be below RMB 300,000.
Under the BaaS (battery as a service) battery rental scheme, the L90’s pre-sales starting price is RMB 193,900.
Notably, the L90’s price is expected to decrease further at its official launch, a common strategy adopted by many in China’s EV industry.
The L90 will offer six-seat and seven-seat options to cater to a broader range of customer needs. Onvo plans to launch the new L80 model in the fourth quarter, with a previous regulatory filing indicating it will be the five-seat version of the L90.
The launch of the L90’s pre-sales comes as Li Auto is set to officially launch its first pure-electric SUV — the six-seat Li i8 — on July 29.
Li Auto is one of China’s leading extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) players, currently offering four extended-range SUV models and one pure electric MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) model.
With the upcoming launch of the Li i8, the company will officially compete with Nio in the battery electric vehicle (BEV) market.
As a large SUV, the Onvo L90 is competitively priced, significantly lower than Li Auto’s six-seat flagship SUV, the Li L9, which is priced from RMB 409,800, and is likely to put Li Auto in a difficult position when it comes to pricing the Li i8.
The Onvo L90 measures 5,145 mm in length, 1,998 mm in width, and 1,786 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,110 mm.
For comparison, the Li L9 EREV measures 5,218 mm in length, 1,998 mm in width, and 1,800 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,105 mm. The Li i8 measures 5,085 mm in length, 1,960 mm in width, and 1,740 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,050 mm.
The Onvo L90 is a typical boxy SUV, similar to Li Auto’s EREVs, a design currently favored by Chinese consumers.
The Li i8, however, does not adopt the conventional boxy SUV design but instead resembles an MPV. Li Auto founder, chairman, and CEO Li Xiang explained on July 9 that this design aims to optimize energy efficiency and space utilization.
Nio’s Li hinted at his disagreement with this explanation during the L90’s pre-sales event, stating that the Onvo model achieves better body lightweight design, resulting in improved energy efficiency, thereby giving it the appearance of a conventional SUV.
The Onvo L90’s curb weight ranges from 2,250 kilograms to 2,385 kilograms, lower than the Li i8’s 2,580 kilograms to 2,610 kilograms, according to their regulatory filings.
Another factor supporting the Onvo L90’s conventional SUV appearance is Nio’s extensive charging and battery swap network. Currently, the company has 3,400 battery swap stations in China, with 1,000 located along highways. It also has 2,884 supercharging stations and 1,776 destination charging stations.
Li Auto has significantly increased its investment in charging infrastructure over the past year, with 2,866 supercharging stations currently in place to prepare for the launch of the Li i8.
Li Auto is regarded as one of the most efficient EV manufacturers in China, capable of quickly beginning deliveries after new product launches.
Nio appears to have seriously taken note of Li Auto’s approach with the Onvo L90, as show cars are already available at all Onvo stores and the model will be delivered within days of the official launch.
Li introduced a wealth of technical details about the Onvo L90 during a three-hour event on Thursday — the longest in Nio’s history — including its 900-volt high-voltage platform, a two-wheel-drive version achieving class-leading energy consumption of 14.5 kWh per 100 kilometers, and a range of up to 605 kilometers.
Like most premium EV models, the L90 boasts powerful performance, with the all-wheel-drive version delivering up to 440 kW of power and accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.7 seconds.
Spaciousness is one of the L90’s key selling points, and Onvo showcased the vehicle’s exceptionally large front trunk at the 2025 Shanghai auto show in late April.
At Thursday’s event, Li reiterated that the L90 can accommodate ten suitcases while still providing a spacious six-seat configuration.
Safety was also a key focus, with Li noting that the L90 comes standard with nine airbags and advanced active safety features enabled by cutting-edge algorithms.
“The Onvo L90 is a product designed through a decade of technological innovation which better understands Chinese families. It is a revolutionary family-oriented pure electric three-row SUV and the ideal choice for large families,” Li said.
Chinese consumers can now reserve the L90 by paying a deposit of RMB 2,000, which entitles them to benefits including a RMB 5,000 discount on the final payment and a RMB 5,000 discount on optional extras.
($1 = RMB 7.1749)
Nio’s third factory will start production in September, which is expected to support the upcoming delivery of the Onvo L90.
