Nio wants the U.S. government to ensure that Chinese car manufacturers have fair and equal access to the local market. This comes as the Chinese car manufacturer continues its worldwide expansion and enters new areas of Europe, including the UK.
The founder and chief executive of Nio, William Li, believes that Chinese carmakers have to face additional hurdles in selling their vehicles in the U.S. He believes this is simply because of politics and U.S. protectionism and contrasts heavily to how Tesla was welcomed into China and how quickly it has grown throughout the country.
Read: Nio ET5 And EL7 Awarded Five Stars In Euro NCAP’s Updated Tests
“The world should be more open and stop politicizing business,” Li said while speaking with The Financial Times. “The global political climate has become totally different from that when we set up our company back in 2015, especially after the pandemic stirred up division and antagonism. Chinese consumers have a wide range of [new energy vehicles] to choose from. Why can’t these products be enjoyed by US consumers as well?”
China is expected to overtake Japan as the world’s largest car exporter this year and Nio is particularly eager to boost its sales after its Chinese market share of EVs and plug-in hybrids fell from 2.3% in the first quarter to 1.3% in the second quarter, delivering a total of 23,520 vehicles across the country. Li said that high tariffs on vehicles made in China mean it is difficult to bring them to the U.S. There also remains uncertainty over the access to subsidies through the Inflation Reduction Act.
Nio is currently investing heavily in Europe where EVs are offered with generous subsidies and are selling particularly well in some countries. The Chinese carmaker is also rolling out a network of battery-swapping stations in Europe as a means to differentiate itself from rivals.
