Nio exported 1,083 vehicles in January-September, or 0.67 percent of its production of 161,903, according to an image in a CCTV report.

Nio (NYSE: NIO) has never publicly disclosed its vehicle export figures, but a recent report has shed some light.

The electric vehicle (EV) maker's production facilities in eastern China's Anhui province produced 161,903 vehicles in the first 9 months of this year, 1,083 of which were exported, according to an image shown in a video report yesterday by China's state broadcaster CCTV.

That means exports accounted for just 0.67 percent of Nio's vehicle output, less than other major carmakers in Anhui province.

Nio, which makes only battery electric vehicles (BEVs), has its global headquarters in Shanghai and a China headquarters in Hefei, Anhui province, where it has two factories.

The company has only entered Europe so far in its efforts to expand internationally and is about to enter the Middle East.

It began selling vehicles in Norway in October 2021, with the country being its first stop in an overseas market. As of now, Nio's presence in Europe also includes Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

Nio's management had said that it will enter the UAE market within this year and on October 4, the company signed an agreement with its Middle East backer CYVN Holdings to set up a joint venture, Nio MENA, to enter the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) market.

Wuhu, Anhui-based auto giant Chery is the province's largest carmaker and a major contributor to local auto exports.

Chery produced 1,125,774 vehicles in the January-September period, of which 829,353 vehicles, or 73.67 percent, were exported.

Chery's vehicle fleet is dominated by traditional gasoline vehicles, with new energy vehicle (NEV) models contributing 173,979 units, or 15.45 percent, in the January-September period.

Shenzhen-based BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) produced 628,802 vehicles at its Hefei production base in the January-September period, though few of them were exported, at 4,409 units, or 0.70 percent.

Hefei-based Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group (JAC) produced 299,318 vehicles in the January-September period, of which 196,938, or 65.80 percent, were exported.

Volkswagen Anhui, Volkswagen's majority-owned joint venture in China, produced 24,945 vehicles in the January-September period, of which 17,200, or 68.95 percent, were exported.

Nio didn't get its own car-making credentials in its early days, and its vehicles were initially produced by partner JAC.

The company acquired the assets of the two factories -- F1 and F2 -- from JAC after it gained car-making status late last year.

In June, Nio co-founder and president Qin Lihong confirmed that the company had begun construction on its third factory, F3, after rumors circulated.

The new plant, with a single-shift capacity of 100,000 units per year, will be used for production of Nio-branded models and sub-brand Onvo models, Qin said at the time.

Nio Inc delivered 21,181 vehicles in September, bringing January-September deliveries to 149,281 vehicles, up 35.72 percent year-on-year, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.

Onvo's first model, the L60, which was launched on September 19 and began deliveries on September 28, delivered 832 units in September, contributing 3.93 percent of Nio Inc's deliveries. The Nio main brand delivered 20,349 vehicles in September.

The Nio main brand is currently targeting the premium EV market priced above RMB 300,000 ($42,240), while Onvo is targeting the mass market between RMB 200,000 and RMB 300,000. The company will also launch a third brand codenamed Firefly to target the market priced between RMB 100,000 and RMB 200,000 yuan.

Qin announced at Nio's partner conference on October 10 that the Firefly sub-brand will be launched at the Nio Day 2024 event in Guangzhou on December 21, according to a local media report earlier this month.

($1 = RMB 7.1023)

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