Onvo turns to design with new L80 Starlight styling package amid sliding sales

With deliveries trending downward, Nio's Onvo brand is betting on looks. The sub-brand announced via Weibo a new Starlight styling package for its L80 large five-seat electric SUV, priced for a limited time at 10,080 yuan (about $1,490) for orders placed on or before September 30.

The package is purely visual. It adds Xinghan Blue paint, said to be inspired by starlight reflecting off Qinghai province's Chaka Salt Lake, paired with exclusive 21-inch multi-spoke Xuanhui wheels whose design nods to star trails. No powertrain or battery changes were mentioned, and Onvo continues to market the L80 around family travel, pointing to its front and rear storage and room for outdoor gear.

The push comes against a soft sales backdrop. L80 deliveries slipped to 3,139 units in August, down 2.88% from July and well under the 5,949 units recorded in May, the first month on the market. Cumulative volume since the May 15 launch stands at 16,406, with the model accounting for 35.63% of Onvo's August deliveries. The SUV shares its platform and dimensions with the three-row L90, starts at 242,800 yuan with an 85 kWh pack — or 156,800 yuan plus an 899 yuan monthly fee under BaaS — and drew more than 90% BaaS uptake among initial buyers, 62% of whom picked the Max+ trim with LiDAR and the Shenji NX9031 chip.

The move mirrors the playbook of Onvo's sister brand Firefly, which has repeatedly refreshed its sole model through design-led editions to sustain interest, most recently the 666-unit Club Spiaggia special edition launched August 28 at 135,800 yuan, a 13.4% premium over the base car.