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Hui Zhang, VP of NIO Europe |
In these extraordinary occasions, we have now reached out to elements of the worldwide auto business for views on present challenges and a tackle prospects for 2021. Particularly, we needed to get a variety of views and viewpoints. On this newest within the collection we’re publishing this month, we hear from Hui Zhang, VP of NIO Europe.
j-a: 2020 was a reasonably memorable 12 months for everybody and for all types of causes. In your corporation, what stand out as the largest challenges you confronted this 12 months?
HZ: For NIO, the disaster brought about the identical challenges everybody needed to face, however our manner of coping with it was totally different. After all, one of many greatest challenges was to maintain promoting automobiles and satisfying our customers’ wants. So, we instantly centered on two features that form our enterprise mannequin: the cell web and our online-to-offline gross sales channels. That helped us considerably to strategy our customers in a short time after the outbreak of Covid-19 and to deliver them again to our level of gross sales: the NIO Homes and NIO Areas.
So, we had been in a position to acquire a considerable model consciousness and gross sales push. And typically, one can say that the agility of our operations was key for our success. And that is mirrored in our gross sales information we set month after month starting in April 2020.
Normally, I wish to say, that this disaster has been one of the vital difficult ones worldwide throughout the final 100 years. So, for everyone who pushed by and can handle to beat this disaster, all that could be a good preparation for the long run.
j-a: What did you be taught that you just didn’t count on to be taught?
HZ: When coping with the pandemic and its heavy influence, a number of challenges appeared which I needed to face. For instance, it was a brand new expertise for me to learn how to steer the group in Europe by the robust interval. That goes hand in hand with the truth that each groups in Munich and in Oxford began working from residence which hasn’t been quite common for us at NIO. Nevertheless, as a world firm, we have now a world mindset, so we met the problem to keep up the standard excessive degree of effectivity. And we even managed to boost the effectivity to the following degree. All collectively we additionally managed to maintain the group spirit excessive in the course of the robust occasions. So, I’m very pleased with the groups and wish to thank all people for his or her dedication, help and their first-class work.
j-a: And as we come to the top of the 12 months and searching again on it, are you able to summarise how you’re feeling?
HZ: Truly, I’m filled with hope. When trying on the automotive business, one can see that the electrification of the market obtained even stronger in the course of the pandemic than it has been earlier than. As an EV producer, we’re very glad to see that growth. The brand new circumstances additionally pressured us to rethink and additional develop our gross sales and repair fashions. At NIO, we strongly centered on our already talked about online-to-offline gross sales technique which helped us to get again on monitor very fast. Our ES6, for instance, is the best-selling EV in China for 13 consecutive months amongst all comparable fashions. So, we managed to show the disaster into a really profitable 12 months. For me that’s proof that our groups at NIO are properly outfitted to beat these challenges and are prepared to do all the things that Is important to get by the robust occasions.
And one other necessary side that makes me look to the long run with nice hope and fills me with new power is our upcoming entry into abroad markets and the brand new alternatives that come together with it for NIO.
j-a: Particularly on prospects for 2021. It is clearly an uncommon time within the context of the uncertainties forward for all of us, however are you able to say one thing about how you might be approaching the brand new 12 months?
HZ: The brand new 12 months will begin with our NIO Day, an annual particular occasion that’s devoted to our customers. So, consistently hold bettering our consumer satisfaction is all the time our predominant purpose, and with NIO Day on January ninth we are going to precisely try this and begin into 2021 along with our customers.
After all, we are going to hold investing in several enterprise areas at NIO. First, we are going to additional increase our community in China relating to gross sales, service and energy answer. Second, we are going to hold investing in our core applied sciences throughout the discipline of autonomous driving. And third, we’re engaged on our subsequent platform to construct the following technology of NIO automobiles.
2021 may even be a vital 12 months for our world enterprise as a result of – as we have already got revealed – we are going to come to European markets. So, we are going to proceed our devoted work to strengthen our model consciousness within the European nations.
j-a: Do you have got a message for the readers?
HZ: When our founder William Li began NIO 6 years in the past, he had the imaginative and prescient of shaping a joyful way of life for the individuals and managed to construct up a world enterprise that focuses precisely on placing that imaginative and prescient into motion. So, my message is: keep in mind the rationale why you began your journey, why you might be obsessed with it, after which hold specializing in that. Should you achieve this, regardless of how heavy the storm is, you will notice your rainbow on the finish.
