NIO's Dominance in Beijing Autoshow 2026

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:02][music] [music] [music] >> Hello and welcome to Beijing Auto Show 2026.

[00:00:35]This place is where the future of uh electric vehicles is being decided.

[00:00:43]And honestly, this is a turning point in the history of uh transportation.

[00:00:52]Because years ago and up up until now, um cars were defined by horsepower.

[00:01:03]But now, it has shifted to computing power.

[00:01:09]Whoever has the most computing power uh stays relevant in today's market.

[00:01:17]And uh Beijing Auto Show is what defines the future of uh transportation and mobility.

[00:01:30]The companies that are being displayed here are um mostly startups.

[00:01:37]We can't call them startups now cuz most of them have been uh formed um more than 10 years ago.

[00:01:47]And uh many of them are mature and they're making profits.

[00:01:55]Uh this auto show is um is being held every year at the end of April.

[00:02:04]Last year it was in Shanghai and this year is in Beijing.

[00:02:09]And I flew all the way from the United States to witness with my own eyes the future of transportation.

[00:02:26]I have been following this transition since 2018.

[00:02:31]I'm an enthusiast and an investor.

[00:02:37]Being invested in this mobility is what propelled me to learn and research more about the companies.

[00:02:50]And a specific brand that I am really into is called Nio.

[00:02:58]With Chinese name Weilai.

[00:03:03]Which means blue sky coming.

[00:03:06]Cuz as as you know, Beijing as China and especially Beijing uh um did not have a good air quality for for years.

[00:03:22]And it was a concern for a global warming.

[00:03:26]But now with this transition to electric vehicles the Beijing sky is finally blue.

[00:03:38]And that's what all that matters, right?

[00:03:45]This is the booth that I that brought me all the way from the United States.

[00:03:52]And uh it's the biggest booth in the whole auto show.

[00:03:57]And I think they deserve it because they have a lot to say, and they have a lot to show.

[00:04:04]Look at this car.

[00:04:11]This car has an active uh dual chamber suspension.

[00:04:17]What's special about this newly launched car called ES9 is that the cameras mounted on top of the car, as you can see there, and the lidar actively scans the road, and based on the images that it receives, uh it sends signals to the suspension, and the suspension adapts.

[00:04:45]If it's uh if it's a highway with no bumps, the suspension lowers itself.

[00:04:51]If there's a turning point, it stiffens.

[00:04:55]And uh if there's a bump, uh it softens the uh suspension, so so you don't you don't feel the bump.

[00:05:03]This is revolutionary.

[00:05:06]Uh it's Neo is one of the few few car brands that uh it has adapted this technology.

[00:05:15]And uh up there you see uh you see lidar, which uh Tesla is against.

[00:05:23]They believe that cameras are enough.

[00:05:27]Uh if the driver if the driver of the car drives with the eyes, the car can drive with uh cameras only.

[00:05:38]But Neo, along with many other EV brands, say that cameras are not enough because uh there are road conditions that you cannot fully sense with your own eyes. Uh for example, in in foggy situation, um when it's night, raining, the cameras uh can't quite capture the uh obstacles.

[00:06:10]Um And especially with the with the way that we're heading, um in a few years' time, these cars will be autonomous, fully autonomous. I mean, even now, most of these cars have drive can drive themselves, but because of the regulations and uh slight uh safety concerns, they require you to hold your hand on the steering wheel.

[00:06:47]Um but in few years' time, um you can take your eyes off of the road, you can take your hands off of the steering wheel, and it and it and it and it drives on its own.

[00:07:02]Another major technology that um is uh specific to Nio and one more car brand as of right now is the steer-by-wire.

[00:07:16]What I mean by that is that um this car the steering wheel on this car, there's no there's no physical connection between the steering wheel.

[00:07:32]Oh, hey.

[00:07:33]Good to see you. Right, Jen. I got interrupted by Unvo's marketing manager.

[00:07:38]>> Yes, I was looking Someone I actually knew from before.

[00:07:41]Unvo is a sub-brand of Nio that launched its first car about 2 years ago.

[00:07:46]Since then, a lot of employees who were originally trained under Nio have transitioned over to work with Onvo.

[00:07:54]One of them is my friend Mark.

[00:07:56]He's now the head of marketing for Onvo.

[00:07:59]And luckily for me, he speaks English.

[00:08:01]So, I took the opportunity to ask him directly about his thoughts on both Nio and Onvo.

[00:08:08]He then walked me through how Nio positions itself very differently from traditional car companies, emphasizing that it's not just about building electric vehicles, but about creating a full user experience around ownership.

[00:08:22]According to him, Nio's core values center on community, premium service, and life aside integration, where things like Nio houses and events are designed to make the brand feel more like a social ecosystem than a car company.

[00:08:37]He also explained how Onvo fits into this strategy as a more accessible, everyday version of Nio, while it's still benefiting from the same technology and design philosophy.

[00:08:48]Later, he even invited me to visit the Nio house and grab a drink, which really showed how much importance they place on building personal connections with users, not just selling cars.

[00:09:00]He was employee of the Nio, but then uh he switched his role.

[00:09:04]Do you want to tell me what's uh special about Nio? Um why should I buy Nio instead of other car brands?

[00:09:11]I think uh for for Nio, it's a difference with the other Chinese brands. But the our design and DNA is like uh I think it's a a pure and uh uh design is very uh you know uh difference with the the other the local brands. It's more more like the global brands. I think so for for me, in my mind, I think it's like an Apple, like a Google, like it's very uh the great companies. Uh they uh we we produce the the very good quality quality of the vehicle and also our designs. I think it's fantastic.

[00:09:48]Exactly. I mean, these cars are very beautiful. As you can see, uh they're designed in Munich, Germany, right?

[00:09:54]Yeah. Uh by Chris Bangle, who is uh The BM uh before the he is the ex-BMW designer. Yeah. Ex-BMW designer. And AirDax. Yeah. And AirDax, too. Yes, I remember that. And I think he has studied in the US and then uh moved to Germany. Mhm. He's German, right?

[00:10:13]I I don't know. He speaks fluent English. I think he grew in he grew up in the US, but I think he's originally from Germany. Yes.

[00:10:22]I mean, Germany is known for the design, uh as you can see, for um from BMW, Mercedes. They all have good designs.

[00:10:29]Uh tell me about battery swap technology.

[00:10:32]Sorry? Tell me about battery swap technology. There's stations. Uh-huh.

[00:10:36]Uh-huh. Um Just introduce me to battery swap. Uh You know, uh How does it work? Yeah, I think it's a This is uh the most difference uh the NIO and the with the the other dealers of uh electric uh electric uh the the brands the the vehicle company. So, uh for the for the electric vehicle, we we not only uh to uh charging for your vehicle, we we can also to uh to use the battery swap. It's a more it's a more fast faster than uh than the you waiting for the uh electric to charging your vehicle. So, this is um I think it's the most of convenience for the uh electric vehicle users. Yes. Yes.

[00:11:20]I mean, I can I can I agree with because I own a Tesla Model Y in California.

[00:11:26]During road trips, uh I have to stay at a charging station and it takes roughly 30 minutes to go from 20% to 80%.

[00:11:33]>> Yes.

[00:11:34]And especially at times that I'm in rush, uh you know, it's a hassle for me.

[00:11:38]Yeah. I rather change my battery under 3 minutes >> Yes. and move on.

[00:11:44]>> Yeah.

[00:11:44]Which is what differentiates NIO from other um car brands.

[00:11:48]>> generation that the battery swap by NIO is more faster than before. Oh, wow.

[00:11:53]>> Maybe within 2 minutes. Yeah, maybe 2 to half.

[00:11:56]>> That's insane. Yeah. Yeah. And also we we we already uh to build uh 3,000 3,800 and more uh battery swap station all of China. So, as of right now, 3,800 stations.

[00:12:12]>> In China. In China. And I heard uh >> is a lot I think it's already covers a lot of the highways uh all of the China.

[00:12:21]I see. You can to buy you can driving the NIO uh the vehicle uh from from here to anywhere and you don't need to waiting for charging. You just go >> swap stations. That's very convenient.

[00:12:35]>> That's yes, very convenient. And I heard they're planning to build another 1,000 stations by the end of this year. That's a goal, if I'm not mistaken.

[00:12:42]>> In in 2020 uh 2020 the 2020 or 20 Sorry. Uh 20 2023 we have uh one one hund- uh 1,000 stations for the goal all of the Was built in 1 year.

[00:12:56]>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:12:57]>> Oh, wow. The scale >> Finally the week we got we haven't got.

[00:13:01]I mean, this is a lesson for American car makers cuz Yeah.

[00:13:04]aside from Tesla, there are other companies that provide uh electric vehicles, but they don't have any charging stations.

[00:13:12]>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um I mean, there are third compa- third-party companies like Electrify America, but I think whoever provides uh electric vehicle, they have to provide the charging stations for for their cars as well.

[00:13:25]>> Yeah. And what differentiates these uh local from foreign brands is that most of them provide the charging infrastructure like X 1 the auto they all have their own infrastructure.

[00:13:37]That's awesome.

[00:13:39]We also we we not we we we not only to build the battery battery swap station and then we also to build you know the flash charging station. By Neo. And I think our charging station you know is very quality and if you use uh the Neo the charger the the charger you know is I don't know how to say is uh for design and design and the quality and the convenience and I think it's a more it's better than than the other brands for the station. Yeah.

[00:14:14]>> Yep. Yep. I think uh according to my research I think Neo has the most amount of most number of charging stations among local Chinese brands.

[00:14:24]Not not only they provide the battery substations but they also provide the charging stations for the convenience of the car users.

[00:14:32]They can decide whether they want to change their batteries or they want to charge their car it's up to them.

[00:14:36]But Neo I think is the most flexible car brand.

[00:14:41]Exactly. And do you want to tell me about Neo house cuz not not many other brands have have this Neo house concept of Neo life and Neo house.

[00:14:51]>> Yes. I think this is the second difference with the other car company the auto company because I before William William to establish this company he thinks uh you know for the traditional the the car the auto company just to to manufacture the the vehicle. Yeah.

[00:15:15]They then they sell to the dealership and the dealership to sell the the vehicle. But but for villain, he he think he thought uh, we we directly to sell the vehicle to the users, to the clients. And so, this is a big community. So, uh, he he he he to prepare the very good application on online, yeah, online. And so, we are in the BTL, in the behind behind the line, we have a very uh, like a this community for the client, for our users.

[00:15:48]Uh, you can have the like a like a house, like your home uh, in the in the every city, every city. We have we build the new house. You can to have a uh, test a drive, and you can you will see the new [music] product for Nio. And also, we have a big uh, how to say, big a very good venue for the our users. You can to order the coffee, and we have the joy cam. You can to bring your carry your childs, your your your your kids to here. And our, you know, we have NHS. NHS is Nio House Specialist. Like a like a Apple. Right, right.

[00:16:25]>> And uh, the boy and the girls are very professional. Uh, someone can uh, someone uh, before he worked uh, they they worked uh, for the Starbucks.

[00:16:36]So, now they they they work for Nio, and they have a to a to make a good coffee.

[00:16:41]Exactly.

[00:16:41]>> And also, someone uh, uh, maybe in the in the the the you know, the baby garden. I I don't know. And and they they now they they they work to to the Nio, and the new house, and they play with their kids for the joy cam. Right, right. And also, we have a very uh, every Nio house have like uh, how to say, uh, the forum. We have the salon, and uh, also the workout, the workshop for the our users. And if you are the users, our new users, you also can to renting by the app for uh, uh, pay by the coins. I see. The app's coins. So, you can to rent the the room the the room for the business for your business and you can to invite your friends to new house. If your office not here, you have a business trip to the other city. And if you are the new a new users, you also can use the the new house in the other city in other cities.

[00:17:43]Exactly.

[00:17:44]>> convenient for the users. And we we built the application and all of the new users and the fans in the APP, we can to communicate with each others.

[00:17:56]Yeah, that's that's that's unique. And I think that's exactly what I love about NIO because they have a holistic approach to selling cars.

[00:18:04]>> Yes. Unlike other brands, they only sell the car to the customers and that's it.

[00:18:09]The relationship ends as soon as they sell the car.

[00:18:13]>> But NIO keeps the customers for the long Yeah.

[00:18:16]whole life.

[00:18:17]>> Yes. Yes. Yeah. When you buy the car, that's the first step to to get introduced to the NIO community.

[00:18:23]>> Yes. And you're going to stay with NIO for your for your whole life.

[00:18:28]>> Yes. Uh We can we can to to make friends each others. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, I've heard about NIO communities are very active, very engaged. Yeah. They go >> Yes. for road trips together. They have a lot of activities, surfing, skiing.

[00:18:44]Yeah. Uh that's exactly unique to NIO.

[00:18:47]Which is exactly what I what I like.

[00:18:49]>> Our users are to to make a lot of the club for the uh different hobbies. If you are the skinner, I'm a swimmer, and I I would like to play basketball and we can to you know to make how to say to to make a the event on the on the app and some the other the other users can to join to this this game or this events. So >> Right.

[00:19:14]people and the people to to you know to know each other from Nio, yeah. Exactly.

[00:19:19]Exactly. That's amazing. Yes. Um I know I'm taking a lot of your time, but is it okay if you take me to the Nio house and um I want to try their drink. Okay. Um Can we go upstairs to the to the Nio house together?

[00:19:36]And uh cuz I'm going to going to show them this uh this holistic approach uh that Nio is taking. Okay.

[00:19:52]And then we we come down and I'll I'll show you inside of the ES9, which I was talking earlier. Um And we'll go over more uh over the technologies that uh differentiates Nio from the rest of the the companies.

[00:20:13]This is Firefly.

[00:20:17]Uh which is a sub sub brand of Nio.

[00:20:21]I'll I'll show you the cars.

[00:20:24]These are Nio staff.

[00:20:36]So it's a I got a wrist band.

[00:20:40]Can we go up from here?

[00:20:48]They're so very very welcoming community.

[00:20:53]Hi. Ni hao.

[00:20:57]Oh, this is the this is the voucher for the drink.

[00:21:00]Um He invited me for a drink.

[00:21:03]Which is very lovely.

[00:21:05]I get to have I get to try a free free new drink.

[00:21:11]This is Neo Cafe.

[00:21:13]Ni hao.

[00:21:14]Ni hao.

[00:21:18]Ni hao.

[00:21:22]Morning.

[00:21:30]Ni hao. How are you?

[00:21:34]So, we get to choose uh the drink here.

[00:21:37]Um ni hao.

[00:21:40]special flavor Um We have a four uh special flavor drinks.

[00:21:45]So, they have the of three. Uh the first one is for Neo. blue sky >> is for the Anvo. Happy voyage.

[00:21:52]>> Yeah, the sec- the third one is for the uh firefly. glow night >> glow night Yeah.

[00:21:57]And finally, the the last one is for the Beijing uh city special drinks. red dress Yeah, this is a special flavor.

[00:22:04]Which one do you recommend?

[00:22:06]I recommend maybe uh Anvo. Anvo? Yeah.

[00:22:09]happy voyage Yeah. Okay. Let's go with happy voyage. Okay.

[00:22:22]Xie xie. This is the code for the drinks. I got the code for the drinks.

[00:22:25]Okay. Bye-bye. Okay.

[00:22:27]Thank you.

[00:22:32]And here we get to get the drink.

[00:22:35]Ni hao. Hi.

[00:22:38]Okay. As our drink is ready here.

[00:22:40]It says uh happy voyage. So, let's let's see how it tastes.

[00:22:45]The orange. We have the orange uh this color is uh like uh the the Anvo brand color is highlight color. Yeah. So, three brands have the the uh how to say they They're unique color. Yeah, unique colors. Anvo is uh orange.

[00:23:02]>> Yes. Yeah.

[00:23:04]What is Neo? Blue?

[00:23:05]>> for Neo. Blue for Neo. Yeah, and so the purple and the the green light for the Firefly.

[00:23:11]>> Firefly.

[00:23:11]>> it the green light is like a firefly that the animals. I see. Yeah. I see.

[00:23:16]And the white Yeah, the the orange for the Onvo.

[00:23:22]Interesting. It's It's very interesting cuz Neo, Onvo, and Firefly, they they they all have their unique definition Yeah. and color.

[00:23:31]Uh Uh that they they introduce themselves with.

[00:23:38]This is like the the It's like a Neo house.

[00:23:42]lounge that we seat and uh >> in the It's a high patient center. This is a Neo house for the uh different city.

[00:23:49]I see.

[00:23:50]>> is a uh the other side is a joy camp.

[00:23:52]The joy camp. Yeah. Yeah, so you can If you are the users, you can uh to carry your keys in the joy camp. I see.

[00:24:00]>> word the specialist to have to care of the kids.

[00:24:04]This is the joy camp for the kids. Um every Neo house provides this space for kids. Uh and uh you have specialists that work with the kids. That's That's amazing.

[00:24:17]>> And also have the meeting room.

[00:24:20]The meeting room.

[00:24:20]>> house have the meeting room for our users.

[00:24:24]Just like I I said, you know, if you are to have a business travel to the other cities and if you are the new users, you can to renting the uh I see.

[00:24:35]>> room with your business possible. I see.

[00:24:37]This is the meeting room that Yeah.

[00:24:39]every Neo house provides for its users.

[00:24:44]Amazing.

[00:24:45]Okay.

[00:24:46]I'm going to taste my uh Neo uh Onvo Onvo happy voyage and And every painting. Sorry. Oh, sorry. Every painting is you know, our our users to take the I see. So, this photo has been taken by a user.

[00:25:03]>> nickname on the the right uh the left the left you will see the nicknames by by the app.

[00:25:12]So, every user gets to >> This is the means of new user excitation.

[00:25:18]New user excitation. I see.

[00:25:21]All the paint paint So, all the paintings here are are the products of the new users.

[00:25:28]>> Interesting.

[00:25:29]>> And also the painting.

[00:25:32]Beautiful.

[00:25:32]>> You will see the marks.

[00:25:35]I see.

[00:25:42]We have the English version. We have mirror of sky and this is the user's name the nickname uh on the on the app.

[00:25:49]Yeah. Beautiful painting. Inspired by the ET9 Horizon Edition. Mirror of the sky. A new user that captures the first light over the seller. During our conversation, Malcolm went on to explain the many services and experiences that the new ecosystem provides through the new house.

[00:26:10]What stood out to me the most was how user-centric the entire brand is built.

[00:26:17]Nio doesn't simply focus on selling cars. Focuses on building long-term relationships with its users and creating a community that lasts far beyond the purchase itself.

[00:26:29]I truly appreciate all of you for staying with me until the end of this vlog.

[00:26:34]This video was not sponsored or incentivized in any way.

[00:26:39]I created it purely as an enthusiast and long-term investor who has been closely following the rise of China's EV industry for years.

[00:26:49]Visiting the Beijing Auto Show 2026 was an unforgettable experience for me and he wanted to document and share that journey with all of you.

[00:26:59]I also had the opportunity to interview Dr. Andreas.

[00:27:04]A new ambassador and user based in Shanghai.

[00:27:07]About the transformation currently taking place in the automotive industry.

[00:27:12]He shared some incredibly insightful perspectives on the future of electric vehicles and the direction the industry is heading.

[00:27:22]That interview will be featured in my next video. So make sure to stay tuned.

[00:27:27]You won't want to miss it.

[00:27:29]Thank you all for watching and I'll see you in the next one.