- Nio slid as much as 6.8% on Wednesday after it announced plans to sell up to $2 billion in US-based shares.
- The sale would be the biggest US offering by a Chinese company since Didi's June IPO.
- Nio's fundraising push comes as the auto industry continues to feel the squeeze of the global chip shortage.
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Electric-vehicle maker Nio slid as much as 6.8% on Wednesday after it announced plans to sell up to $2 billion in US-based shares, the biggest such offering since Didi's IPO.
NYSE-listed shares in Nio fell as low as $37.81 on Wednesday from the previous day's close of $40.59.
Shanghai-based Nio had previously signaled it would pursue a second listing in Hong Kong, following the lead of rivals like XPeng, which did so in June.
Analysts cited by Bloomberg disagreed on whether the $2 billion in US shares indicated further hurdles in the Hong Kong listing process. Deutsche Bank's Edison Yu said delays in Hong Kong might've spurred the company to turn to American markets. But Bloomberg Intelligence's Steve Man differed, saying the most likely rationale is curbing the company's debt costs.
The $2 billion dollar share sale would be the biggest US offering by a Chinese company since Didi Global raised $4.4 billion from US investors in June – just days before its share price tanked.
Nio's fundraising push comes as the auto industry continues to feel the squeeze of the global chip shortage. Last week, Nio announced vehicle deliveries had fallen around 25% from July to August thanks to the "uncertainty and volatility of semiconductor supply." XPeng reported a similar drop - although Li Auto, another Chinese EV rival, saw 10% month-over-month delivery growth.
Also last week, Ford slashed production of its flagship F-150 pickup truck, blaming a lack of chip components, while Elon Musk said the next-gen Tesla Roadster would likely be pushed back to 2023.
Nio shares closed at $38.15 on Wednesday, falling 6% on the day.