Nio, the Tesla of China, Is Building an Electric Car Lifestyle

Indeed, time has become the ultimate luxury and, to put it bluntly, no one wants to spend too much of it while waiting for their car to be charged so they can go about their business. While automakers like Tesla are taking a more holistic approach to the issue by offering more entertainment options right inside the car, Nio from China is bent on building an entire lifestyle around it.

The goal is ultimately the same: to make the wait more bearable, at least until technology comes to allow faster charging times, and to lure more “users” into buying EVs. Nio is just going about it differently than other automakers, ripping a page right out of Apple’s book.

Aside from more time, modern man wants nothing more but to feel that he belongs. You’ve probably heard this many times already: the smarter our gadgets get, our cars included, the more alienated we become. Nio will solve that, offering Nio “users” (they’re not owners or drivers, mind you) a community to which they can belong.

Called the “Tesla of China,” Nio has set its goals on surpassing its rival in sales and, so far, things are looking promising. Nio has 2 SUVs and one hypercar on the market right now, and has announced 4 more models (a minivan, 2 sedans and one more SUV) for the near future. Sales are booming and it’s not just because it’s taking a targeted, limited approach to EVs, by selling only in China, or because of considerable subsidies from the government.

It’s because Nio isn’t selling just cars, but a lifestyle.

Tesla too is about making a lifestyle choice, and the strong Tesla community is proof of that. However, Nio is making it official, by building across China a network of so-called Nio Houses, places that users can call their home away from home. The idea is simple: you own or have pre-ordered a Nio, you get immediate access to a very select club, where you can take meetings, chill or get educated on stuff you’d always been passionate about but never had the time for.

Nio Houses are located in swanky areas that speak to the profile Nio customer: the middle upper class, flush with cash and willing to spend a lot of it on a new lifestyle. They offer anything from pottery or flower arrangement classes to conference rooms, library, open-space dining area, private rooms where you can continue working as if you were in the office and kids playgrounds that can double as kids’ party locations.

Some Nio Houses even have a concierge service, where someone comes to pick up the car and returns it once it’s charged or serviced. A Nio House can be anything a user needs it to be at that very exact moment, and it’s this type of versatility that’s making the idea a success.

You can’t buy your way into this club unless you pay for a Nio. To enforce that idea, there’s also a Nio app, which brings the entire Nio community right onto your phone, offering you the chance to connect with like-minded users and find things to relate.

Nio is just at the beginning of the road, but the combination of the current EV boom in China, and the promise of exclusivity and of fulfilling of what is ultimately a basic human need (the sense of belonging), is poising the company for success. At the root of it all is the idea that a car is more than just a car, so buying a new one isn’t just an acquisition process but the start of a new life.

If it sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve heard it before. From Apple.

“If we believe the car itself is a user touchpoint – one of many touchpoints a company can provide with its users – I think the mobile internet would be the applicable business model in the auto industry,” CEO William Li said in a Business Insider interview. “If you are buying a car, you’re not just buying a vehicle. You’re buying a ticket to a new lifestyle.”