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“The market is not yet very active, if you compare it to combustion engine models where each of the major automakers has a whole range of vehicles,” said Alexander Klose, who heads the Chinese vehicle maker’s foreign operations. electric Aiways.
“This is where we think we have an opportunity,” he added during a tour of Munich in a U5, a crossover SUV on sale in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France.
The U5 starts at 30,000 euros ($ 35,000) in Germany – lower than the average price of new cars and most local prices for electric vehicles – before factoring in 9,000 euros in subsidies for electric vehicles and n ‘ is available in only four colors and two trim levels to keep costs down.
As Chinese automakers prepare to enter Europe, they are experimenting with different business models, ranging from reliance on importers, low-cost retail options, or the creation of more traditional dealerships.
The new reality that big Western companies like BMW and Tesla are now producing cars in Chinese technological power has likely undermined past perceptions of shoddy work – though they may be hard to shake.
Antje Levers, a teacher who lives in western Germany near the Dutch border, and her husband owned a diesel Chevrolet Orlando but wanted a greener option. They bought an Aiways U5 last year after a lot of research to fend off criticism for not buying local and love its handling and low running costs.
She said people told her, “You can’t buy a Chinese car; they are plastic and cheap and do not support German jobs. But she thinks that’s no longer true in a global auto industry where German parts are found in Chinese cars and vice versa.
“The Germans buy German cars, so to buy a Chinese car you have to have a little courage,” the 47-year-old added. “Sometimes you just have to be open to new things.”
Nio will launch its ES8 electric SUV in Norway alongside a Nio House, which is both a showroom, café and workspace for customers in the capital of Norway, a country that is also the initial base of Xpeng.
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