Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Electric vehicle maker Nio is preparing to enter Azerbaijan’s market, with its first showroom planned for the capital, Baku, co-founder and President Lihong Qin said on Thursday.
The expansion follows Nio‘s recent entry into the Israeli market, where it began selling part of its lineup through local partner Delek Motors. The Shanghai-headquartered EV maker is expected to announce its sales and service partner for Azerbaijan in the coming weeks.
Earlier this week, the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change started in Baku with Nio as the automotive partner. The company has been providing mobility services for heads of state, government officials, and other dignitaries, using its EL8, ET7, and EL6 models as official reception vehicles.
Nio‘s President is also set to deliver a keynote speech titled “Blue Sky Coming: Shaping the Future of Smart EV” on Friday, November 15.
In a video statement shared on social media this Thursday, Lihong Qin described the strategic importance of the expansion to the market adding that he is very confident about the future of Nio’s vehicle sales and services in Azerbaijan.
“Hello everyone, I’m Lihong Qin from Nio. Right now, I’m in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Baku is a beautiful city by the coast. Behind me is the Caspian Sea, which is actually the largest lake in the world, not a sea, though it looks as vast as one. On the other side of the sea lies Kazakhstan,” Qin said in a video statement.
Qin went on to highlight the significance of Azerbaijan as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. “Azerbaijan is an important country along the Belt and Road Initiative and serves as a key transit hub linking Russia to the Middle East. I’m here for two purposes: First, we’ve established a vehicle sales and service partnership in Azerbaijan, and I’m here to meet and sign with our partner.”
He also noted Nio’s participation in the COP29, with Nio being “one of the few companies invited to participate in this conference, so I’m representing the company here. These two events combined have brought me on this business trip.”
From the COP29 venue, Qin shared his impressions of the surroundings, saying, “We are currently in a seaside resort that has been temporarily transformed into the COP29 venue and reception center. I arrived late last night from Urumqi, and due to the time difference, I didn’t get a clear look. But this morning, I saw how beautiful this place truly is. Over the next couple of days, I’ll share videos showing Nio’s chosen site for our ‘Nio House’ in Azerbaijan, introduce our partner, and showcase how Nio vehicles are being used as the official reception vehicles for COP29.”
“It’s my first time here, and I find it incredibly beautiful, clean, and modern. I’m filled with confidence about the future of Nio’s vehicle sales and services in Azerbaijan,” Lihong Qin concluded.
Below is the video shared by Nio’s executive.
The EV maker has recently launched in Israel through a partnership with Delek Motors, one of the country’s largest vehicle distributors.
In September, Delek Motors, which was appointed to establish a dedicated sales team for Nio in the country, began hiring a store manager for the first Nio showroom.
The first store, or Nio House as they are known, is located in Herzliya, a city within the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, and opened its doors last week showcasing five models from the Nio brand.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
