NIO (NYSE: NIO) plans to expand into 25 overseas markets by the end of next year. With its new lower-cost Onvo brand already driving demand, NIO expects to play a much bigger role in the global EV market. Will we see NIO’s electric vehicles launch in the US? Europe?

After its sixth straight month, with over 20,000 vehicles sold in October, NIO appears to be gaining traction.

NIO-branded vehicles accounted for 16,657 of the nearly 21,000 models sold last month, while its new mainstream Onvo brand contributed 4,319 in its first full sales month.

After launching the Onvo L60 at the end of September, NIO’s new midsize electric SUV is already showing promise. Starting at just over $21,000 (149,900 yuan), the L60 is widely compared to Tesla’s top-selling Model Y.

The Onvo electric SUV is cheaper than the Model Y in China, which starts at around $35,000 (249,900 yuan). However, the $21K L60 price is if you rent the battery, which includes an $85 (599 yuan) or $125 (899 yuan) monthly fee, depending on the battery’s size.

Even with the battery included, NIO Onvo L60 prices still undercut the Tesla Model Y, starting at $29,300 (206,900 yuan).

At 4,828 mm long, 1,930 mm wide, and 1,616 mm tall, NIO’s electric SUV is a direct rival to Tesla’s top seller (4,750 mm long x 1,921 mm wide x 1,624 mm tall).

NIO wants more to gain overseas market share

In May 2021, NIO announced it was taking the brand global. By October, the Chinese EV maker opened its first overseas showroom in Norway.

Although the company unveiled plans to enter over 25 overseas markets during NIO Day in December 2021, the expansion has largely stalled.

Over the past few years, NIO has focused on its existing overseas markets, including Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark, but that will soon change.

According to NIO’s president and co-founder, Qin Lihong, the company is standing by its 2021 target.

In a recent interview with Chinese media CGTN (via CnEVPost), Qin said, “I hope that we can expand to up to 25 different countries or regions by the end of next year.”

NIO’s president added, “We want to enter more than 90 percent of the market presence” in the next five to ten years.

Although no specific markets were mentioned, local media reports suggest they will include major auto hubs like the US, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. However, with tighter regulations on EV imports from China expected, the US could be a hard market for NIO to compete.

With NIO’s new Onvo L60 gaining momentum, the low-cost brand could play a significant role as the EV maker expands overseas.

According to NIO Onvo’s president, Alan Ai (via CnEVPost), over 7,000 L60 models have been delivered as of November 14. By March 2025, Onvo is expected to deliver over 20,000 models in a single month.

Onvo is also launching its second EV next year, a six or seven-seat electric SUV. NIO’s CEO William Li said the new Onvo model will be “much more competitive” than the L60.

Tesla has evidently given an exclusive look at its Optimus robot and its new Cybercab to none other than Kim Kardashian.

The reality TV star has long owned Tesla vehicles, but she has been more public about her ownership of Tesla vehicles since the Cybertruck.

We previously reported that she possibly had the first painted Cybertruck.

Now, Tesla has brought her a couple of Optimus humanoid robots and a Cybercab for an exclusive demo that she shared on her Instagram stories:

The Optimus robot did some of the same tricks that it did at Tesla’s ‘We, Robot’ event, though we know that those robots were remotely operated at the time.

There doesn’t seem to be anything new on that front – although Tesla did bring her a gold Optimus.

Kardashian seemed impressed with the Cybercab as well and even gave congrats to Tesla’s chief designer Franz von Holzhausen. She praised the “rims”, which include painting the side of the tires gold.

It’s unclear if Tesla paid Kardashian for her Instagram stories sent to her hundreds of millions of followers.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has long claimed that the automaker doesn’t do any favoritism with celebrities or pay for their endorsements, but we have seen signs that it is changing.

Especially with the Cybertruck, many celebrities appeared to have had priority deliveries and more recently, Tesla hired its first celebrity ambassador.

Electrek’s Take

I think this is Tesla now. Look, if they didn’t pay for it, good for them. It’s free publicity. Anyone would take it, but giving an exclusive look at Optimus and Cybercab to literally only Tesla’s own shareholders (at the We, Robot event) and now Kim Kardashian says a lot about the company right now.

Tesla is not letting tech reviewers and journalists test out those products because they would get panned. They are far from ready, but as usual, Tesla still wants the hype from them.

That’s why you go to Kardashian, who generally posts about clothing, jewelry, and makeup. You can’t expect her to analyze robustness of Tesla’s humanoid robots or the potential of the Cybercab to actually achieve better than human driving capabilities.

Nissan introduced its stylish new N7 electric sedan in China last week, but will it eventually be available overseas?

After unveiling the N7 at the Guangzhou Auto Show last week, Nissan said its newest EV, with its bold new design and advanced new tech, kicks off a new era in China.

The N7 is Nissan’s first dedicated electric model to ride on its Chinese joint venture partner, Dongfeng’s, new EV platform. Dongfeng’s new modular architecture offers “a stress-free driving experience, superior comfort, and a suite of intelligent technology.”

Nissan claims the N7 is poised to “redefine the new benchmark for China’s mainstream family pure electric sedans,” but will it launch overseas in markets like Europe or the US?

At 4,930 mm long, 1,895 mm wide, 1,487 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,915 mm, Nissan’s EV is slightly longer than a Tesla Model 3 (4,720 mm long, 1,848 mm wide, 1,442 mm tall, 2,875 mm wheelbase).

The electric car is the first under its new business plan, “The Arc,” introduced in March. Nissan’s new strategy is focused on slashing EV costs while speeding up development.

Nissan is preparing to accelerate its shift to EVs with a market-specific approach. In China, Nissan aims to launch eight new energy vehicles (EVs and PHEVs), including four Nissan-branded. The N7 will go on sale in the first half of 2025 as Nissan looks to challenge market leaders like BYD and Tesla.

Will Nissan launch the N7 EV overseas?

A big part of the strategy includes exporting vehicles from China. Starting in 2025, Nissan wants to rapidly accelerate exports from China into overseas markets.

The company said it aims to reach 100,000 exports but didn’t specify by when or what markets. With Nissan looking to gain an edge in major auto regions like Europe and the US, an overseas N7 arrival could be in the playbook.

However, with new tariffs on EV imports from China, Nissan would have had to drastically cut costs for the models to be competitive.

Nissan plans to make EV models more affordable by developing them in “families” using modular manufacturing, group sourcing, and advanced batteries. The company aims to cut costs on its next-gen electric models by 30% compared to its current Ariya crossover SUV.

Nissan is also adopting its “Intelligent Factory” process, which was first introduced in Japan, to more overseas plants to speed up output.

At its Sunderland, UK plant, Nissan is preparing to launch three new electric versions of its top-selling models.

The first will be the highly anticipated reboot of the iconic LEAF. According to Nissan, the new model was previewed in its 2021 Chill Out concept.

Sources that have seen the new LEAF claim its design is closer to the Aryia. One source even called it a “mini Ariya.” Electric versions of the Juke and Qashqai will follow Nissan’s next-gen LEAF.

Nissan will launch seven new vehicles in the US and Canada as it looks to gain market share. The current LEAF is still being made in Tenessee, but Nissan is preparing its Smyrna plant for its next-gen electric models.

Electrek’s Take

Although Nissan only said the N7 would go on sale in China, it didn’t rule out other overseas markets. With incoming US President-elect Trump vowing to raise tariffs on imports from “countries that have been ripping us off for years,” an N7 arrival in the States is unlikely.

In Europe, an N7 launch is more likely, but with the EU raising tariffs on Chinese EV imports, Nissan would likely struggle to compete on pricing without taking massive losses.

Nissan plans to take a regional-specific approach, introducing electric models tailored to certain markets, such as the US, Europe, China, and Japan.

Do you want to see Nissan’s new N7 in US showrooms eventually? What about in Europe? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.