About a week after Onvo brand head Alan Ai stepped down, Nio Group has implemented a new series of executive changes affecting its mass-market Onvo brand and broader marketing departments, according to multiple internal emails sent on Thursday and obtained by EV.
Xia Qinghua, previously Head of User Operations and Services at Onvo and a prominent figure in the family-oriented brand, is now moving to the Group’s main brand as Regional General Manager of Nio’s Shanghai operations.
The move follows last week’s appointment of longtime Nio executive and Nio Power Vice President Fei Shen as the new head of Onvo. Fei Shen replaced Alan Ai on the first day of April after the former WeWork executive left Onvo over missed sales targets in the first months of the year.
Ai had led the Onvo project since joining Nio in January 2021 when it was still codenamed “Alps.” In an interview published in mid-March, he said order cancellations had “accelerated” in December, derailing the brand’s sales targets of 16,000 vehicles in January and 20,000 in March.
Although last month the executive publicly denied plans to step down, Ai ultimately left his post in early April following the release of March delivery figures.
On March 29, the now former Head of User Operations and Services Xia Qinghua had posted on social media that Onvo was seeing “a clear rebound in orders” amid demand concerns.
“Thank you to our car owner friends for your trust and support, especially during this time when we’re facing so much criticism,” Xia wrote. “We’ll continue to work hard and provide good service!”
Less than two weeks later, Nio confirmed Xia’s transition to the Group’s core business. At the same time, the company said the former head of Nio Shanghai had been appointed Head of User Relations, replacing Calvin Shen, who is leaving the company “for personal reasons.”
Below is the internal email sent out by the Nio Group.
“Dear NIOers, To further support the Company’s business development, we would like to announce the following organizational appointments:
Calvin SHEN, former Head of User Relations (UR), leaves the Company for personal reasons. We thank Calvin for his valuable contributions and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
Ming SUN is appointed Head of User Relations (UR), reporting to Jim WEI, Senior Vice President of NIO. Ming no longer serves as Regional General Manager of NIO’s Shanghai Company.
Howard XIA [Chinese name: Xia Qinghua] is appointed Regional General Manager of NIO’s Shanghai Company, reporting to Lihong QIN, President of NIO. Howard no longer serves as Head of ONVO User Operations and Services.
This announcement takes effect immediately.”
Separately, Nio has restructured its marketing units under the Onvo business division. According to another internal email, the Onvo Brand & Communications department (OBC) has been renamed Onvo Marketing Activity Planning (OMA).
The renamed department is now responsible for brand building, communications, user growth, marketing strategy and planning, and management of official media platforms.
Lei Ma has been appointed Head of OMA, with a direct reporting line to Nio President Lihong Qin and a dotted reporting line to Associate VP Lin Ma. Executional functions previously handled by OBC—such as media, user growth and PR—are being integrated into other departments under Nio’s Brand & Communications (BC) division.
Howard Ji, the former head of OBC, is leaving Nio due to personal reasons.
In the internal email shared with EV, the company wrote:
“The ONVO Brand & Communications (OBC) department of the ONVO Business Division (OV) is renamed to ONVO Marketing Activity Planning (OMA), responsible for brand building, communications, user growth, marketing strategy and planning, and the operations of official media platforms, as well as supporting regional marketing initiatives.
Lei MA is appointed as Head of OMA, with a direct reporting line to Lihong QIN, President of NIO, and a dotted reporting line to Lin MA, Associate Vice President of Brand & Communications (BC) of NIO.
Executional functions such as media, user growth, and public relations previously under OBC are integrated into the corresponding teams under BC.
Howard JI, former Head of OBC, leaves the Company due to personal reasons. We thank him for his contributions and dedication.”
In a related restructuring, Nio merged three separate marketing functions—Vehicle and Tech Communication Planning (VTC), Regional Marketing (RMD), and Marketing Planning (MPD)—into a single department called Nio Marketing Activity Planning (NMA). Lin Ma now serves concurrently as Head of NMA.
The changes also mean Lei Ma no longer serves as Head of Media and Communication (MCD), a role now held by Lin Ma in addition to his new and existing duties.
In a separate internal email, the Shanghai-based Group stated.
“The Vehicle and Tech Communication Planning (VTC), Regional Marketing (RMD), and Marketing Planning (MPD) departments under BC are merged into a new department, NIO Marketing Activity Planning (NMA). Lin MA serves concurrently as Head of NMA.
Lei MA no longer serves as Head of Media and Communication (MCD), and Lin MA holds this role concurrently.
Other departments and functions remain unchanged.
This announcement takes effect immediately.”
In a separate move, Nio said it has renamed its Cost Engineering & Analysis Department to the Cost Engineering & Audit Department. The company said the change is intended to enhance the department’s auditing function, reinforce employee cost-awareness, and help meet internal cost-reduction goals.
Mobby Wu continues to lead the team, reporting to Nio’s Chief Financial Officer Stanley Qu. Below is the complete internal memo.
“Dear NIOers,
To further strengthen the auditing function of cost engineering, enhance the overall cost mining awareness of all employees through more reasonable cost engineering and rigorous supervision, and support the company in achieving its cost reduction targets, the former Cost Engineering & Analysis Department is renamed the Cost Engineering & Audit Department. Mobby WU serves as the head of the department, reporting to Stanley QU, CFO of NIO.
This announcement takes effect immediately.”
Onvo, unveiled by the Shanghai-based automaker in May 2024, is positioned as a direct rival to Tesla, with its debut model — the L60, a five-seat electric SUV — launched last September.
Despite reaching 5,000 deliveries in November and doubling that figure in December, demand for the L60 fell short of expectations in 2025, Chief Executive Officer William Li said during Nio’s most recent earnings call.
In the announcement, Ai mentioned the brand’s aspirations of reaching global markets while conceding, “we failed to achieve matching sales for what was a very competitive vehicle.”
