NIO’s Sub-Brand Alps Gears Up for Trial Production of its First Model, “DOM”

According to multiple insiders cited by Chinese media outlet 36Kr, NIO‘s sub-brand, Alps, plans to start trial production of its first model, “DOM” (internal codename), in July this year. The vehicle is expected to enter mass production and be delivered to the market in the second half of the year.

Approximately three months after trial production, the vehicle is expected to enter the SOP (Start of Production) phase and begin delivery to customers. If progress goes smoothly, DOM is expected to officially launch in October this year, according to the sources.

It is also reported that despite the limited time left for DOM’s delivery, NIO has set an aggressive delivery target, expecting to deliver tens of thousands of units this year.

During the Q3 earnings call held in December last year, NIO‘s chairman William Li stated that the first car of the second brand, Alps, has completed the VB (Verification Build) trial production. He believes that this is the best VB status car in their history, and they are very confident in the competitiveness of this car. In terms of sales, NIO does not plan to share storefronts with Alps but will share some service networks.

NIO‘s President Qin Lihong also previously stated that “Alps” and “Firefly” are internal project codenames for NIO, not brand names. “Alps” is mainly targeted at the mid-end market, directly competing with products from brands like Tesla, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

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