Lihong Qin

Co-Founder, President & Director, Nio

Search every verified Lihong Qin interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In November 2025, Qin Lihong participated in a Q&A session at Nio House in Oslo, Norway, alongside CEO William Li. During the event, he acknowledged that Nio's product iteration in China is faster than in Europe, stating there is "a generation gap for the product we are selling here." He said the company plans to bring its 3.5-generation technology and products to Norway within two years. He also addressed a customer's question about whether to buy the current EL8 model, advising them to purchase it and promising that existing users would receive special upgrade offers or discounts when newer models arrive. Qin noted that the company is adjusting its pace to ensure the EL8 in Norway represents the best technology available in the market. Qin has also discussed broader challenges and strategies for Nio in Europe. He said that limited resources and high regulatory validation costs have slowed software updates and feature deployment, and that the company prioritizes quality and safety over competing on the number of updates. On tariffs, he stated, "I don't think the tariff will be there forever, but you have to live with it," and emphasized the importance of maintaining branding and reputation, noting that Nio has over 1,000 employees in five European countries. At the Chengdu Auto Show in August 2025, Qin announced that all Nio models would come standard with a 100 kWh long-range battery pack at unchanged prices, and that the company would complete a battery swap route connecting the Western Sichuan Ring and Yunnan–Tibet regions by the end of the year.