Overseas Subsidiary of Chinese EV Firm NIO May Start Selling EVs in U.S.

A U.S.-based subsidiary of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) firm NIO has recently signed a ten-year lease for an office building in San Jose, California, doubling the area of its current headquarters to roughly 18,580 square meters.

The deal has sparked rumors that the company is gearing up to start selling cars in the U.S., although this has not yet been officially confirmed.

According to a report from Electrek, the lease was brokered by real estate company Colliers, which noted that the new U.S. headquarters will support NIO’s research and digital development, testing, assembly, warehousing and general operations.

NIO has posted recruitment information for 46 positions on LinkedIn, including for directors of infrastructure construction and preparation.

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Besides China, NIO currently sells its EVs in Norway, but plans to expand to 25 countries and regions by 2025, as disclosed during the company’s most recent annual NIO Day in December 2021. During the event, the company showed a map on screen with several markets highlighted including western Europe, China, Japan, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S.

NIO responded that the new lease was a normal move to a larger building with more areas for employees. In terms of the company’s expansion in overseas markets, NIO said that after entering the Norwegian market in 2021, its products and services will subsequently enter Denmark, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands later this year.