Visiting NIO, a young e-car company founded in Shanghai, lets you experience their aspiration to shape a joyful lifestyle for their users from the very beginning. You feel their power to make their vision happening and the passion they demonstrate in wanting to provide premium service.

NIO: the e-car company made in China

NIO is an e-car company established in 2014 in Shanghai, privately owned and preparing for IPO, fast growing with 7000 employees today. Their logo comprises two things: the sky – symbolizing vision, and the earth – symbolizing action. This logo fits to their motto, which is “Weilai” and translates to “Blue Sky Coming”. NIO covers a bandwidth from racing cars through the fastest e-car (EP9) to family SUVs, most of them still being in the development phase and one SUV being in the market so far (ES8).

Playful and joyful experience at the NIO car gallery

Our visit to the NIO House

The welcome has been very open and clever: English-speaking young employees started showing us their gallery of cars… imagine the twinkle in the eyes and the smiling faces of all car fans! Hundreds of photos were taken in the very first minutes and there was a fierce competition to get a seat in one of the cars exposed.

Then we were led through the office, which is an open space, beautifully designed area – with coffee, a kid´s corner, and a customer show room – everything to make you feel welcomed. Talking to an employee we were informed that they also use this space after working hours and during weekends to gather.

Only the third part was the presentation showing all products with their top-level features and proudly showing their presence on fairs, receiving the “Intelligent Connected Vehicle test permit” in China in January 2018 and signing strategic cooperation (e.g. with Continental).

What can we take away?

  • NIO is a young company with a passion that you can breathe and feel in the customer orientation as well as in the internal organization
  • KPI is not a measurement – yet. There is enough money and investment power to take only best quality and to own the key core competencies (like battery production, vehicle control systems…)
  • There is full trust and belief that they are best of breed, that they know what they do and that they will succeed
  • They rely not only on top technology and design, they also invest heavily in the service and after sales experience from the very beginning
  • China is good enough to try! NIO currently focuses on getting soundly established in China, the rest of the world will come later

In a nutshell: you really get the impression that NIO will achieve in letting the “Blue Sky coming”.

Author:  Susanna Frech