$NIO Major Room For GrowthIt has become abundantly clear that NIO Inc. (NYSE: NIO) is setting its sights towards expanding in the Dutch market following its recent announcement of opening its first NIO Hub in the European country. NIO’s Dutch hub is far from being an outlier. Currently, the Netherlands hosts 5 NIO swapping stations which is the highest number of NIO’s swapping stations among European countries. When news of the new facility became public, the stock ran 12% because investors saw the move as NIO doubling down on its European expansion. Having said that, the significance of this facility lies in the fact that it furthers NIO’s efforts to dominate the Dutch market. For this reason, the NIO stock forecast appears to be bright for 2023 and beyond.
NIO Fundamentals
As things stand, NIO is set to open its Netherlands hub on Tuesday, August 8th. The hub is located in the Netherlands’ fourth largest city in terms of population, Utrecht. Having said that, the geographic significance of Utrecht lies in the fact that the city is in close proximity to Rotterdam, The Hague, and Amsterdam, which are the Netherlands’ three largest cities.
This location along with the fact that the Netherlands has one of the highest swap station densities since it is the only country with 5 swapping stations within a 40 thousand square km area as well as the stations being clustered around the most densely populated areas. This indicates that NIO is strengthening its grip on the Dutch market.
At first glance, the Dutch market may not seem significant, especially since the population of the Netherlands is only around 17 million which is minuscule compared to European countries like France – 67 million – and Germany – 83.2 million. The reason for NIO’s Dutch fixation is simply due to the fact that the Netherlands has the third highest share of battery-electric vehicles in Europe which accounts for 2.8% of all cars in the Netherlands.
Additionally, the Netherlands has a zero-emission policy, which states that all new passenger vehicles must comply with zero-emission regulations by 2030. Once this policy is taken into consideration, NIO’s Dutch tactic becomes abundantly clear. The company’s investment in developing infrastructure in the Netherlands is likely made in anticipation of a sudden surge in demand due to the aforementioned zero-emission policy.
Once the policy takes effect, EV purchases will drastically rise due to a lack of alternatives. By placing 5 battery-swapping stations, NIO houses, and a NIO hub in the Netherlands, the EV maker is increasing its visibility while at the same time providing the necessary infrastructure for battery swapping and car maintenance ahead of time.
Technical Analysis
NIO stock is in a bullish trend and is trading in an upwards channel. Looking at the indicators, the stock is above the 200, 50, and 21 MAs which is a bullish indication. Meanwhile, the RSI is overbought at 81 and the MACD curling bearishly.
As for the fundamentals, the stock might be poised for a run this month because its July deliveries are set to be released in the coming days. Considering the growing speculation that the company may announce the delivery of 20 thousand vehicles in July, the stock could further soar if these speculations prove to be true. With the stock trading near resistance, investors could wait for a breakout of the current resistance with a pullback to go long on the stock ahead of the release of its July deliveries.
NIO Forecast
NIO’s new Netherlands-based NIO hub is likely part of a larger Dutch tactic that anticipates a surge in demand due to the country’s zero-emission policy. As is, NIO has already established a network of facilities in the Netherlands that will help it capitalize on a possible sudden surge in demand. With growing speculations that the company may announce the delivery of 20 thousand vehicles in its July report, the NIO stock forecast could be bullish for the rest of 2023.
