Multiple job postings recently added to LinkedIn by NIO’s vice president suggest that the Chinese automaker’s expansion into the US could be coming sooner rather than later. NIO has recently shared plans to expand to 25 different countries and regions by 2025.
Despite being founded just seven years ago, NIO has established itself as one of the leading EV automakers in China, and has already begun to expand into other markets overseas.
Earlier this year, the automaker announced plans to sell its ES8 SUV in Europe beginning in Norway, followed by its flagship ET7 sedan. By June, it had received approval for mass production of its ES8 for markets throughout Europe, furthering its expectations for expansion.
As its proprietary superchargers and battery swap stations were making their trek to Norway via, job postings hinted at a new presence in Germany and The Netherlands. Sure enough by September, the automaker had confirmed entry into Germany next, beginning with the ET7 in 2022.
Most recently, the automaker held its annual NIO Day event in China, and in addition to unveiling a second sedan called the ET5, shared intentions to further expand to 25 countries and regions around the globe including Denmark and Sweden.
With its latest job postings, NIO appears to have the US market in its sights as well.
LinkedIn posts hint at NIO expansion plans for US
Tip of the hat to CnEVPost for pointing out multiple recent job posts from NIO Vice President Business & Corporate Development, Saurabh Bhatnagar including Head of User Infrastructure Construction & Readiness. Here’s that job description based in San Jose, CA:
The Business & Corporate Development Team at NIO USA is responsible for the strategy, planning and execution of NIO’s Go-To-Market for the Americas. This is a strategic corporate initiative, sponsored by the CEO & CFO, and comes with high visibility and tall expectations!
As the Head, User Infrastructure Construction & Readiness, you will be responsible for the end-to-end delivery of key NIO infrastructure in the Americas, to support NIO’s business model and user experiences. NIO’s infrastructure must be strategically located, built in compliance with local standards, and adhere to NIO’s global expectations. You will lead the collaboration with world-class internal experts and external partners to have that infrastructure built out from scratch to scale in the Americas.
There were 46 new job postings by the company for San Jose alone, as well as one position in Seattle, WA. Other interesting job openings include Head of Power Strategy and Head of Architecture and Design.
Since hiring has just begun, it’s difficult to say when entry into the US market would begin, but it appears imminent. As you can see from the map below featured on NIO Day 2021, the company has plans for plenty of other regions, including Australia and New Zealand.
The next focus will be on NIO’s progress (good or bad) in Western Europe, until we hear more from the automaker directly. It’s safe to expect that the next expansion news will surround what EVs they will be bringing to its latest list of European countries.
Still, it will be exciting to ponder the prospect of NIO coming to compete with some major EV automakers on United States soil.
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