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"China's Tesla" comes to Germany - and relies on the exchangeable battery

Nomi has already learned German.

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"China's Tesla" comes to Germany - and relies on the exchangeable battery

Nomi has already learned German. The digital assistant is certainly the most striking element in the electric cars from the Chinese start-up Nio. She "lives" in a black ball on the dashboard, turns to the driver in conversation and winks with her two square eyes. When music is playing, small instruments appear, such as a guitar, which Nomi silently plays along with.

However, the rest of the company is not as playful as the on-board assistance. Nio, as can be seen from the launch of the brand in Europe, is very serious about the transition to electromobility. The start-up was long celebrated on the stock exchange as a Far Eastern variant of Tesla, but the price has since fallen significantly.

Despite this, Nio is still worth half as much as BMW on the stock market, even though the company has only sold 250,000 cars since it was founded eight years ago. In good times, BMW manages this number in a month.

But it's about the future, and in that Nio wants to play the role of the do-gooder, as company bosses William Li and Lihong Qin make clear at the big show in Berlin's Tempodrom. "We think we're a global company," says Qin speaking to journalists. "Coming from China is not a contradiction in terms." The claim is high, in Berlin the vehicles are offered in a shop right next to the Memorial Church.

The event in Berlin is also a statement for the western world, at least for the local auto industry: The Chinese are coming to Europe, despite growing geopolitical tensions and conflicts over human rights and raw materials. Like its major competitors in Germany, Qin also hopes for global markets to continue.

“As a company, we are too small to play a role in politics. But we prefer closer relations between the countries, the markets should remain open and everyone should talk to each other," he says. The auto industry is so highly globalized that no country could construct a perfect vehicle on its own. "International cooperation is a must in our industry."

Among other things, Nio has a design center in Munich and branches in Great Britain and the USA. The vehicles are produced in China. In Norway, the cars have been on the market for a year. Autotesters there were impressed by the technology. In the current ranking of the most innovative car manufacturers by Stefan Bratzel's Center of Automotive Management, Nio is the top entry, in 15th place. The Chinese are ahead of US competitors such as Rivian and Lucis.

A first look at the car from WELT AM SONNTAG shows that the interior offers everything you would expect from a luxury class: ambient lighting, massage seats, surfaces made from renewable raw materials (in this case flax). The very well structured user interface of the control display in the middle is striking.

Because the Nio has a powerful computer with modern software, it reacts immediately to touch. The display is brilliant, even when it comes to showing the car from a bird's-eye view - a detail that fewer manufacturers have previously offered.

International suppliers, including German companies such as Bosch, are also involved. After Nio Germany boss Hui Zhang explains to WELT that 200 specialists work for Nio in the field of design and branding in Munich.

Source: WELT/Lukas Axiopoulos

The special feature of the manufacturer are the battery changing stations. In addition to charging via cable, the Nio can replace the entire battery, which takes about five minutes. Nio has already set up two exchange stations in Germany, with more to follow quickly. This is how you want to take away the fear of range from customers, says Qin.

It also comes with the promise that the battery in the car will always be state-of-the-art. It is offered as part of leasing contracts with the car and can also be exchanged during the term. Nio customers book a larger battery for the trip to vacation, and they can choose a smaller battery for everyday use - and thus save money.

"Everything on shares" is the daily stock exchange shot from the WELT business editorial team. Every morning from 7 a.m. with our financial journalists. For stock market experts and beginners. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music and Deezer. Or directly via RSS feed.

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