Nio Inc. (NIO), a leading China-based electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, has performed poorly over the past few months. Shares of NIO have plunged more than 5.4% over the past month and 17% year-to-date.

But, as per the latest headlines, it may appear that the situation will improve from here for the EV maker. On November 1, NIO announced its October 2023 delivery results. The company delivered 16,074 vehicles in October, growing by 59.8% year-over-year. The deliveries comprised 11,086 premium smart electric SUVs and 4,988 premium smart electric sedans.

Although deliveries surged by a high double-digit figure last month, growth was not as impressive sequentially. In September 2023, NIO delivered 15,641 vehicles. So, October’s deliveries represented a sequential increase of just 2.8%.

The company’s figures are lackluster compared to China-based peers such as Li Auto Inc. (LI) and Xpeng Inc. (XPEV) and past expectations.
LI’s October deliveries totaled 40,422 vehicles, increasing by 302.1% year-over-year and a sequential growth of 12.1% (based on 36,060 vehicle deliveries in September). Further, XPEV’s deliveries came in at 20,000 in October, an increase of 292% year-over-year and up 31% on a sequential basis.

While NIO’s stock did soar after the release of its delivery results, the rise was modest (nearly 2.1%) compared to LI (almost up 3.5%) and XPEV (up 7%). Moreover, the broad market rally on November 1 may have played a larger role than the vehicle deliveries news in NIO’s rally.

Although NIO found support in recent trading days, the stock will likely suffer immensely in the upcoming months. So, we maintain a bearish stance on this EV stock.

Now, let’s review in detail what has happened in the past few months and discuss several factors that could impact NIO’s performance in the near term:

Poor Financial Performance

For the second quarter that ended June 30, 2023, NIO reported revenue of $1.21 billion, missing analysts’ estimate of $1.27 billion. The revenue translates to a decline of 14.8% from the second quarter of 2022. Its vehicle sales came in at $990.90 million, down 24.9% from the second quarter of 2022. The company’s gross profit decreased 93.5% from the year-ago value to $12 million.

NIO’s operating expenses grew 47.2% year-over-year to $849.65 million. Its non-GAAP loss from operations was $753.50 million, an increase of 132% year-over-year. The company’s non-GAAP net loss widened by 140.2% from the prior year’s quarter to $751 million. Furthermore, the automaker’s loss per share came in at…

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