The Chinese are ready to spread even further into European commercial territory having cars as their Trojan Horse... In fact, the Chinese car company NIO has a specific plan for its expansion in the always difficult continental market, News Auto reported.
What Car ?
NIO has a reputation in the Chinese market as a manufacturer of luxury pure electric vehicles. It follows its attempt to expand commercially in Europe as well, but this is not easy to achieve.
Europeans have a specific culture regarding motoring and what they consider luxury in a vehicle. However much the Chinese have improved, their creations are still not accepted as such (note: luxurious).
But that doesn't seem to be a problem for the company's executives. To achieve their goal of gaining market share in the Old Continent they invested in the establishment of two new companies within the Chinese Group.
These have the names Alps and Firefly, respectively, and their main purpose will be the development and creation of new purely electric models which will not have a luxury character but will be more affordable for those who want a new car with this technology.
In this way, namely the creation of the two new companies, NIO will maintain its reputation as a luxury car manufacturer. William Li, the company's CEO, said: "In Europe, there is more demand for smaller vehicles (than in China)."
Qin Lihong, President of NIO, pointed out: “The percentage ratio for the cost of batteries in smaller cars is higher than that in others. But this is a global challenge and not just for NIO."
The top executive of the Chinese company also said that the Alps and Firefly will start commercial operations within the next year and that their models will have the ability to change their discharged battery with a fully charged one within five minutes of the hour at the respective stations that will be created for this purpose.
Finally, William Li announced that the production costs of the batteries that will be used in the models of the two new companies will be lower than now, thanks to the use of new cells that will be included in them.
As he said, these will make the new purely electric cars more affordable to acquire but also more efficient in terms of the driving range provided.
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