The first NIO cars that are to arrive in Norway are currently targeted for September this year.
Chinese EV manufacturer NIO has done rather well for itself in China, with its 100,000th car rolling off their production line just last month. This 6-year old automaker however has set its sights larger than just its home market, with plans recently having been laid out for its expansion into Europe later this year.
Announced during its NIO Norway Press Conference, it therefore should come as no surprise that the first step for the electric car manufacturer will be to the EV-loving Nordic country. Overseeing the sales and service networks themselves over there, the first NIO House to open outside China will be in the third quarter on Karl Johans Gate, Oslo.
Also opening in Oslo will be the NIO Norway’s first service and delivery centre, though that will only take place in September. Moving further down the timeline meanwhile, four additional NIO Spaces are set to open open in Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, and Kristansand.
As for the cars that NIO will be launching over there, the Urus-esque ES8 large e-SUV will be its sole debutant model till the ET7 sedan joins its lineup in 2022. There has been no word yet however on whether the smaller ES6 mid-sized e-SUV or its EC6 coupe-SUV counterpart will be making its European debut any time soon.
What has been confirmed by NIO themselves though is that its ‘holistic charging and swapping system’ will be making its Norwegian debut. Dubbed NIO Power, the Chinese EV automaker aims to have introduced four of these battery swap stations in the country, which will be connecting five major cities and its freeways.
The NIO App will also be making its premiere outside of China come the third quarter of this year, as will its NIO Life lifestyle brand. In fact, this rather interesting subsection of the EV automaker — that makes everything from clothes to food and even mini mahjong sets — has already announced collaborations with two Norwegian artists, Anette Moi and Sandra Blikås, and will be launching its first Norway Collection in both Norway and China.
With the unveiling of its market entry into Norway, NIO Norway has also launched the User Advisory Board Project. This initiative is in the hopes to engage with more users within the country that could offer their suggestions and ideas regarding product experiences, service quality, charging and swapping convenience, store operations, and help NIO continuously optimise products and services within the region.
Speaking more about this imminent Norway entry, former head of Jaguar Land Rover in Norway and current general manager of NIO Norway Marius Hayler commented: “NIO will bring its joyful lifestyle to local users by building a community starting with vehicles. We will all share joy and grow together.”
“From its founding, NIO’s vision is to be a global brand with high-quality products and services to the users worldwide. Norway is a sustainable and innovative country and resonates with our vision,” said William Li, founder, chairman, and CEO of NIO.
It is worth pointing out at the end here that NIO is not the first to Chinese automaker to enter the European market in recent times, as brands like XPeng and even Aiways have an established Euro presence already. So it is perhaps clear to see now that the Chinese are coming, the question now though is how will the established European players react?
PRESS RELEASE: On May 6, NIO officially announced its market entry into Norway at the NIO Norway Press Conference, marking its first step overseas. NIO will establish a full-fledged ecosystem encompassing cars, services, digital experience, and lifestyle and build a community.
The ES8, NIO’s smart electric flagship SUV, will be the first vehicle model introduced to Norway, with the ET7, the company’s smart electric flagship sedan, set to follow in 2022.
NIO will directly build its sales and service networks in Norway. The first NIO House outside China will officially open in the third quarter on Karl Johans Gate, the business and cultural center of the city of Oslo. In 2022, four NIO Spaces will open in Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, and Kristansand.
NIO Norway’s first service and delivery center in Oslo will also open in September. In 2022, its aftersales service network will expand nationwide. To offer users a premium service experience in Norway, NIO will provide mobile service and car pickup-and-delivery services.
NIO will also bring its holistic charging and swapping system to Norway. NIO intends to establish a charging map for Europe and introduce its first four NIO Power Swap stations. By the end of 2022, NIO estimates to have battery swap stations in Norway, connecting five major cities and freeways.
As an organic part of NIO’s user community and culture, the NIO app for Europe will go live in the third quarter this year to bring a joyful online lifestyle for users and the community in Norway.
NIO’s lifestyle brand, NIO Life, will also make its debut in Norway by announcing the collaboration with two Norwegian artists, Anette Moi and Sandra Blikås, and launching its first Norway Collection in Norway and China.
With the unveiling of the market entry in Norway, NIO Norway also kicked off the User Advisory Board Project. NIO hopes to engage more users in Norway to offer their suggestions and ideas regarding product experiences, service quality, charging and swapping convenience, store operations, and help NIO continuously optimize products and services.
“NIO will bring its joyful lifestyle to local users by building a community starting with vehicles. We will all share joy and grow together,” said Marius Hayler, general manager of NIO Norway.
“From its founding, NIO’s vision is to be a global brand with high-quality products and services to the users worldwide. Norway is a sustainable and innovative country and resonates with our vision,” said William Li, founder, chairman, and CEO of NIO.”
