EV sales fell in April, third monthly decline since 2021, WSJ says

Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst

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Updated: May 07 2025

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EV Sales Decline: In April, U.S. electric vehicle sales dropped by 5%, contrasting with a 10% growth in the overall car market, marking the third monthly decline since 2021.
Factors for Decline: The decrease in EV sales is attributed to waning customer interest and reduced promotions across most brands, affecting major companies like Ford, GM, and Rivian.

NIO

$4.665+Infinity%1D

Analyst Views on NIO

Wall Street analysts forecast NIO stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for NIO is 5.90 USD with a low forecast of 4.00 USD and a high forecast of 7.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

7 Analyst Rating

2 Buy

4 Hold

1 Sell

Hold

Current: 4.770

Low

4.00

Averages

5.90

High

7.00

Current: 4.770

Low

4.00

Averages

5.90

High

7.00

Freedom Capital

NULL -> Buy

initiated

$8.70

2026-01-07

Reason

Freedom Capital

Price Target

$8.70

AI Analysis

2026-01-07

initiated

NULL -> Buy

Reason

Freedom Capital initiated coverage of NioCorp with a Buy rating and $8.70 price target. NioCorp provides diversified exposure to niobium, scandium, titanium, and magnet rare earth elements, says the analyst, who views the company as strategically aligned with the U.S. government's objective to secure domestic supply chains for critical minerals and reduce reliance on foreign producers, mainly China and Russia.

H.C. Wainwright

Buy

upgrade

2025-12-08

Reason

H.C. Wainwright

Price Target

2025-12-08

upgrade

Buy

Reason

H.C. Wainwright raised the firm's price target on NioCorp to $9.50 from $8.25 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares.

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Barclays

Underweight

maintain

$3 -> $4

2025-11-28

Reason

Barclays

Price Target

$3 -> $4

2025-11-28

maintain

Underweight

Reason

Barclays raised the firm's price target on Nio to $4 from $3 and keeps an Underweight rating on the shares. The company's Q3 results brought better vehicle gross margins but higher sales and marketing, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm notes that Nio's Q4 delivery guide is lower than expected.

Freedom Capital

Hold

Buy

upgrade

2025-11-28

Reason

Freedom Capital

Price Target

2025-11-28

upgrade

Hold

Buy

Reason

Freedom Capital upgraded Nio to Buy from Hold with a price target of $7, up from $6.50. The Chinese EV maker has shown accelerating delivery growth in recent quarters and intends to build on that momentum with the launch of two sub-brands, notes the analyst, who believes that rising shipments next year will drive the company's revenue to "new record levels."

About NIO

NIO Inc is a holding company mainly engaged in the design, development, manufacturing and sales of smart electric vehicles. The Company offers premium smart electric vehicles under the NIO brand, family-oriented smart electric vehicles through the ONVO brand, and small smart high-end electric cars with the FIREFLY brand. The Company focuses on building in-house capabilities including battery swapping, assisted and intelligent driving, digital technologies, electric powertrain and battery, vehicle engineering and design, among others, to control the design and development of the vehicle software and hardware architecture and the critical components.

About the author

Emily J. Thompson

Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.