XPeng or NIO: Which Chinese EV Stock Looks Stronger Now?

Yahoo

2 days ago

China's new-energy vehicle (NEV) market is thriving, driven by strong consumer demand, rapid technological innovation and continued government support. Among the noted players in this fast-moving space are NIO Inc. NIO and XPeng Inc. XPEV — two homegrown EV players racing to capture market share. While both are committed to pushing the boundaries of electric mobility, their strategies and performance differ. As the competition heats up, the question is—which company is better positioned to win over shareholders? Let's compare NIO and XPeng across several critical metrics to find out which one currently holds the edge.
NIO's current lineup spans sedans, SUVs and coupes, including models like ES6, EC6, ES7, ES8, EC7, ET5, ET5T, ET7, ET9, EP9. In late March 2025, NIO began deliveries of its luxury flagship sedan, ET9. Beyond its core lineup, NIO is expanding its reach through two sub-brands. ONVO, its mainstream mass-market brand, debuted L60, which has been well-received by consumers. Deliveries of its second vehicle, L90, are expected to begin in the third quarter of 2025, followed by a third model in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Firefly—NIO's high-end compact EV brand—unveiled its first model in April 2025.
XPeng also has a diversified lineup. It also bets big on intelligence-driven vehicles. Its offerings include G9 (a mid- to large-sized SUV), P7i (a sporty sedan), G6 (a sleek coupe SUV), P7+ (a family sedan), MONA M03 (a value-priced sedan) and X9 (a seven-seat MPV). This month, XPeng introduced its latest model, G7—a crossover positioned between G6 and G9. Within 46 minutes of opening pre-orders, G7 attracted over 10,000 reservations, signaling strong market interest. G7 is also the first model equipped with XPeng's in-house Turing AI chip, which reportedly delivers triple the computing power of standard smart driving chips.
While NIO offers a broader brand presence across price tiers, XPeng's focus on intelligent driving and diverse vehicle styles, along with the early buzz surrounding its G7 launch, underscores its tech-driven strategy. This product innovation focus could help XPeng gain ground in an increasingly crowded market.
XPeng has delivered a knockout performance on the delivery front. In 2024, it delivered 190,068 vehicles — a 34.2% increase year over year. The momentum surged in 2025, with 94,008 vehicles delivered in the first quarter alone, marking a jaw-dropping 331% jump from the prior-year period. That momentum continues, with 35,045 vehicles delivered in April (up 273% year over year) and 33,525 in May (up 230%). XPeng expects second-quarter deliveries in the band of 102,000-108,000, representing year-over-year growth of 238%-257%.
NIO, though growing steadily, is now trailing in volumes. It delivered 221,970 vehicles in 2024 — higher than XPeng's total — but the story has changed in 2025. NIO sold 42,094 units in the first quarter of 2025 — less than half of XPeng's quarterly tally. April deliveries rose 53% year over year to 23,900 units, while May deliveries climbed a modest 13.1% to 23,231 units. For second-quarter 2025, NIO projects deliveries in the range of 72,000-75,000 vehicles, implying a rise of 25.5-30.7% year over year.
In terms of growth and volume, XPeng is clearly in the driver's seat.
XPeng delivered strong top-line growth in the last reported quarter, with revenues surging 141.5% year over year to $2.18 billion. Its net loss narrowed significantly to $90 million, reflecting improving operational efficiency. Vehicle margin improved to 10.5% from 5.5% a year ago.
NIO generated $1.66 billion in revenues in the last reported quarter, up 20.8% year over year. However, it remains deeply in the red, with a net loss of $930 million — a 30% increase from the prior-year period. Its vehicle margin was 10.2%, slightly below XPeng's but up from 9.2% in the prior-year quarter.
While both firms are still unprofitable, XPeng is seeing stronger revenue growth and a healthier trend in narrowing losses, giving it a modest edge on the financial front.
Both NIO and XPeng are spending money on advanced technologies, but their approaches differ. NIO's standout innovation is its battery swap tech, with over 3,400 stations deployed globally. It's also advancing smart driving with its NIO World Model (NWM), part of its NADArch 2.0 architecture. NWM enables real-time decision-making from raw sensor data and is now live on Banyan-based vehicles.
XPeng, meanwhile, is doubling down on full-stack intelligence. Its AI Hawkeye Visual Solution and XOS 5.4 operating system showcase an integrated approach to smart driving. XPeng is also thinking beyond the road—developing humanoid robots, flying cars and in-house AI chips. While some of these projects may seem far-fetched, they reflect XPeng's bold vision for the future of mobility.
For now, XPeng's ambition and breadth of innovation give it a clear edge.
While NIO stock has struggled so far in 2025, XPeng shares have seen a solid upswing—likely fueled by investor excitement around its advancements in autonomous driving, robotics and AI.
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Both stocks trade at relatively low forward price-to-sales ratios versus their historical averages. However, XPeng's forward P/S ratio of 1.25 is notably higher than NIO's 0.42.
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Despite both companies being unprofitable, the market appears to be rewarding XPeng's bold tech narrative and improving financials, while remaining cautious on NIO amid continued losses and margin pressure.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for XPEV's 2025 bottom line suggests 66.7% year-over-year growth, while the 2026 estimate implies a 207% jump from 2025 projected levels. See how estimates for XPeng have been revised in the past 90 days.
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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NIO's 2025 and 2026 bottom line implies a year-over-year improvement of 31% and 59%, respectively. See how estimates for NIO have been revised in the past 90 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
At this point, neither NIO nor XPeng is a screaming buy. Both carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which suggests investors should stay cautious in the short term. That said, if we have to pick one over the other, it would be XPeng. It's growing faster, cutting its losses, and generating more excitement around its tech, especially in autonomous driving and AI.
NIO still has some strong cards to play, like its battery swap network and broader brand strategy. But NIO hasn't turned those advantages into the same kind of growth and margin progress we're seeing from XPeng. For investors looking to tap into China's EV growth story, XPeng looks like the more promising one now.
You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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