Nio embarks on company-wide AI integration drive

Nio has confirmed it will ramp up its investments into AI across all operations in 2026. Founder and Chief Executive William Li has instructed employees to deeply integrate the technology to enhance product competitiveness and operational efficiency, establishing an AGI committee to promote widespread adoption throughout the company. 

During an internal staff meeting on 14 January, Li announced that departments targeted for substantial AI adoption include research and development, manufacturing, supply chain, finance and human resources. He also discussed the matter several days prior, telling reporters gathered at a 6 January media event in Hefei: “I believe any automotive company with ambitions today must be an AI company – there’s no question about it.” [Translations according to CnEVPost] 

The timing of the push comes just months after a series of executive departures from Nio’s autonomous driving division, including Bai Yuli, who had led the automaker’s AI platform since August 2020. Nio subsequently restructured its intelligent driving division through a ‘4×100 relay baton’ model that integrated pre-research, mass production, platform replication and vehicle-model replication into a single unified structure. 

The reorganisation could be an effort to address development woes Li acknowledged as being “quite challenging”. This would explain the note of urgency he struck during the internal address, warning employees that Nio risks falling behind if competitors adopt AI to boost efficiency while it resists adaptation.

Later in the address, Li reiterated his confidence in Nio achieving its first-ever quarterly profitability during Q5 2025, citing solid gross margins from the 40,000 units of the all-new ES8 delivered since launch. The automaker targets 40%-50% annual growth over the next three to five years while steadily increasing vehicle gross margins to 17%-18%.