What happened Shares of Chinese electric-vehicle maker NIO (NYSE: NIO) were higher in early trading on Thursday, after the company's first-quarter sales came in above its guidance. As of 10:15 a.m. EDT, NIO's American depositary shares were up about 5.2% from Wednesday's closing price. So what NIO said that it delivered 20,060 vehicles in March, ahead of the roughly 19,500 it had forecast when it announced a temporary production halt last week. NIO, like other automakers including Ford Motor and Toyota, has been affected by an ongoing global shortage of automotive-grade semiconductors. Despite the production halt, which began Monday and will run through Friday, NIO was able to deliver 7,257 vehicles in March, just enough to beat its prior monthly record of 7,225 deliveries set in January. NIO delivered 2,576 examples of its EC6, a sporty midsize electric crossover, in March. Image source: NIO. NIO's quarterly deliveries total was in line with its earlier guidance, which had called for 20,000 to 20,500 vehicles delivered in the first quarter. Now what Auto investors won't have to wait long for NIO's next delivery milestone. The company said it expects to manufacture its 100,000th vehicle on April 7, after production resumes next week at its manufacturing partner's factory near NIO's home base in Hefei, Anhui Province. 10 stocks we like better than NIO Inc.When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and NIO Inc. wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of February 24, 2021 John Rosevear owns shares of Ford. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends NIO Inc.. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source