Nio takes the plunge to Europe. After Norway, Germany is on the conquest plan of the Chinese car manufacturer at the end of next year, which wants to differentiate itself from the competition through customer-oriented services.
At Nio, things are going like clockwork at the moment. In September, the Chinese car manufacturer will open its first Nio House in Europe in Oslo. In a prime location near the Royal Palace. Understood. Unlike other manufacturers, however, the Chinese do not want to plant a representative palatial palace in the city center in order to make their products as effective as possible for the public; the area should rather become a meeting place for Nio fans. Retreat and discussion forum at the same time. This is entirely in the spirit of the Nio founder William Li, who sees the commonality concept as an elementary component of his company. Finally, the Nio drivers and customers can also communicate directly with him via the app and formulate their wishes and suggestions. Li takes time every day to personally answer questions. “The companies that listen are successful,” said Hui Zhang, vice president of the Nio Group.
So it is in China, so it should be in Europe, where Norway serves as a blueprint for the tiger leap into the heart of the Old World. It starts in the Scandinavian country with the fully electric SUV ES8. The strategy of conquest is already prepared. After the Scandinavian country, there will be a first wave of other countries in the fourth quarter of next year. In addition to Sweden, the Netherlands and Switzerland, Germany is also to be accepted into the Nio community. The spearhead is the Nio ET 7 sedan, which has completed the test drives and will be delivered to customers in China at the end of the year.
The 5.09 meter long electric vehicle costs 448,000 RMB (56,000 euros) in China without battery rental and 378,000 RMP with monthly battery rental and will be adjusted for Europe. For example, there will be a European version of the cute voice assistant Nomi. It is not known whether he will be called “Gretel” in Germany. Why not an SUV when they are so popular? The answer is simple. The ET 7 is on the Chinese carmaker’s current platform and therefore offers the latest technology. “You only have one opportunity to make a first impression,” says European boss Oliver Schwarz.
This is especially important in countries like Germany. After all, Nio sees itself as a premium brand and wants to entice away customers from Audi, BMW and Mercedes, which sets the bar high. In order to overcome this, the Chinese have understood that you cannot beat the German top dogs on the autobahn and, in the spirit of the company boss, choose an approach in which the customer is king. It starts with the loading. Nio wants to bring both exchangeable battery technology and classic 180 kW fast chargers to Germany. The quick battery swap is no nonsense for technology-loving enthusiasts. There are already 470 such exchange stations in China, which now accommodate 13 replacement battery modules and only require the space of four parking spaces. The Chinese government has marked this technology as important and Geely and Saic are now also using this technology. By the way, maneuvering to the changing port will no longer be necessary in the future; the car will do this automatically at the push of a button. If that is too much of a hassle for you, you can order a kind of valet service that takes care of changing the modules and returns the car to the owner.
The service for the Nio customer doesn’t stop there. So that younger motorists can also afford a Nio, the car manufacturer offers leasing offers for the batteries, which are handled by its own subsidiary Weineng Battery Asset. This business model is based on the idea of ”Battery as a Service” (BaaS), with which you can drive a car with a small battery pack every day and, if necessary – for a longer vacation trip, for example – order a larger battery. The purchase price for a Nio automobile is reduced by around 9,000 euros. Another side effect is the fact that without the expensive but also aging battery, the residual value of the car increases. In addition, the Chinese carmaker has the material cycle in its own hands, but separated from the vehicles.
Those who prefer to take the charging cable into their own hands should also be able to do so in Europe. The Chinese are watching the scramble over the charging stations very closely and want to team up with “a strong partner”. That is why Nio is cooperating with Plugsurfing in Norway, giving customers access to 20,000 charging points. The aim is to create a comfortable charging experience. So with a roof and brightly lit, not in the farthest corner of the parking lot, as is currently the case with some charging stations. Those responsible for Nio have not yet revealed which company they are teaming up with in Germany; the Dutch start-up Fastned would be a suitable partner. However, they are also trying to find suitable locations along the highways.
I am a 24-year-old writer and journalist who has been working in the news industry for the past two years. I write primarily about market news, so if you’re looking for insights into what’s going on in the stock market or economic indicators, you’ve come to the right place. I also dabble in writing articles on lifestyle trends and pop culture news.
