Nio opens smart driving tech centre in Germany, its 1st outside of China

Nio is moving ahead with its internationalization efforts with the opening of a smart driving technology centre in Germany.

The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker opened the European Smart Driving Technology Centre in Schönefeld, near Berlin, on Apr 8, the first such facility outside of China, to boost its international presence, according to a statement posted on the European version of Nio's mobile app.

The Smart Driving Technology Centre is located in the Greater Berlin area, next to the Nio Berlin Innovation Centre, which opened in 2023. The two locations will work closely together to develop technology specifically for Europe.

ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) software is part of Nio's digital, hardware and software architecture and one of the company's core competencies developed in-house, its statement said.

In developing the software, Nio focuses on user needs, which are different in Europe and China, as well as the regulatory requirements for assisted driving, the company said, adding that in order to meet these specificities, Nio deploys specialized development teams for each market and region.

The team at this Smart Driving Technology Centre, led by Mirko Reuter, Nio's senior director of autonomous driving, develops and validates all vehicle-specific systems in Schönefeld, focusing on the local needs of Nio users, according to the statement.

The in-house development of ADAS software makes Nio's entire development process faster, more agile and more robust, the company said, adding that this allows it to respond quickly to changing user needs, which has a significant impact on feature development.

"The ideal combination of automotive and software expertise around Berlin and the good infrastructure of Brandenburg will make the Smart Driving Technology Centre the hub of Nio for all intelligent and digital developments in Europe in the future," Reuter said.

Nio vice president Zhang Hui described the Smart Driving Technology Centre as another milestone on the company's path to becoming a global premium brand, saying the facility helps to complete Nio's global development network and provide tailored, user-friendly technology solutions "from Europe for Europe".

This is somewhat similar to Volkswagen's positioning in China, where the German automaker has been emphasizing its "in China for China" strategy.

Nio is focusing its efforts in the international market on Europe, unlike many of its other local counterparts who focus on Southeast Asia.

The Chinese EV maker has already launched models including the ET5, ET5 Touring, EL7, and EL6 in several countries including Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Norway. The EL7 and EL6 are known as the ES7 and ES6 in China.

The company is trying to bring its entire service system in China to Germany, including the iconic battery swap stations.

As of now, Nio has 42 battery swap stations in Europe, with Germany having the most with 14, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.