Nio has begun renting meeting rooms and co-working spaces at its flagship European showrooms, seeking to generate additional revenue and attract new audiences as the Chinese electric vehicle maker struggles to gain traction in the region.
The company offers private meeting rooms, podcast studios, and children’s areas for hourly rental across its Nio Houses in Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
The spaces are available for booking through Nio‘s mobile app, though the process varies by country.
In Germany, private meeting rooms can be booked from one to seven hours at €20 ($23) per hour, or €100 ($118) for a full seven-hour workday.
A podcast room at the Berlin Nio House, which fits up to four people, is available for €50 ($59) per hour.
European Sales Struggle
The initiative comes as Nio‘s premium brand registers minimal sales in Europe.
The company sold just 70 vehicles across its seven European markets in November as it works to clear inventory of 2023 and 2024 model-year vehicles.
Several incentives are in place for the ET5, ET5 Touring, EL6, and EL8 models, with preliminary data from December showing a strong rebound in the final weeks of 2025.
Showroom Network
Nio built a network of flagship showrooms across European capitals starting in 2021, differentiating itself from Chinese rivals with multi-floor spaces designed as community hubs rather than traditional dealerships.
“Pure, Human, Sophisticated, Progressive are four design principles for all Nio Houses,” Jim Wei, now senior vice president, said in 2021. “Nio Houses are the church of our brand and space for our users to come together and experience our unique lifestyle and culture and share their own experiences.”
The strategy came with significant costs. The Oslo Nio House, opened in late 2021, spans 2,100 square meters.
The Berlin location, opened a year later, covers 1,300 square meters across three floors.
The Amsterdam showroom, opened in mid-2024, is the largest in Europe at 2,700 square meters across eight stories.
“The eight-story, 2,700-square-meter space offers an immersive experience that includes car viewing, dining, office space, childcare, exhibitions, lectures, relaxation, reading, and social gatherings,” Nio said when the Amsterdam location opened.
Booking Process
The booking process varies by market.
Germany has the system fully operational through the Nio app. Norway asks customers to inquire via email. Sweden displays the message: “We are currently working on this service. Please, stay tuned.”
In the Netherlands, where Nio operates two showrooms in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the company relies on an external booking website.
The Amsterdam location offers meeting rooms capable of fitting up to 5, 8, 20, or 40 people.
The Hamburg showroom offers meeting rooms for 4, 6, and 8 people, as well as a kids hub for €10 per hour fitting a maximum of four children.
Spaces available for rent — only on weekdays — range from small to large meeting rooms and include a Media Lounge for up to 16 people at the Berlin Nio House.
Business Model Shift
Until recently, all five of Nio‘s original European markets operated under a direct sales model. Earlier this year, the company announced Denmark would transition to a dealership model, becoming the first of the 2021-2022 expansion wave to change its approach.
Denmark was the only market among Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden where Nio had not built a Nio House.
It remains unknown whether the company is considering adopting the same strategy for other markets.
New Market Expansion
Last month, Nio officially launched in three new countries: Austria, Greece, and Portugal.
However, distributors in each market are responsible for sales and after-sales service, meaning Nio will not operate showrooms in those countries while maintaining its locations in the original five markets.
Israel was the first market where Nio entered with a dealership partner, approximately one year ago.
Multifunctional Future
As reported by EV in August, Nio is planning to open what it calls the “world’s largest multifunctional NIO House” in Hangzhou, China.
“Phase 1 launches its Delivery Center, with Phase 2 set to create the world’s largest multifunctional Nio House,” the local government said, adding that the space will integrate brand exhibitions, art galleries, cafés, and co-working areas.
Nio‘s current flagship showroom, opened in August 2023, spans over 4,000 square meters and features a direct corridor to its F2 manufacturing plant in NeoPark, Hefei. It is also the company’s first zero-carbon facility.
As of June 30, Nio operated 187 Nio Houses globally. More recent figures have not been disclosed.
