Chinese startup Nio Inc has announced the launch of used care service in its home market of China.
Nio officially introduced a pre-owned service called Nio Certified on Sunday for buyers of used Nio cars. The company prepares to make an investment of 3 billion yuan ($459.21 million) into this service for five years.
“The launch of NIO Certified marked the closure of the service loop throughout the life cycle of NIO cars,” the company said.
The implementation comes after six months of trial operation, the company said.
Nio noted that as of December 31, 2020, it had made deliveries of 75,641 vehicles through the trial program, with the overall mileage exceeding 1.4 billion kilometers.
Nio said it has established a used car business network across the nation, offering a full-range of services including vehicle inspection, evaluation, acquisition, and sales.
The company said it provides competitive rates and fast transactions. All pre-owned cars from NIO Certified have completed 286 tests designed for new energy vehicles and come with traceable automobile information, the company said.
NIO Certified permits buyers to return their cars or ask for replacement under seven days after purchase. The cars bought through the service come with other advantages such as an extended warranty from the manufacturer for one year or 30,000 kilometers from the date of transaction, a free 7 kW Power Home, lifetime free roadside rescue, lifetime free car connectivity and the same battery-as-a-service program that comes together with a new car.
Nio also offers authentic part replacements in used cars and updates their software and hardware prior to the delivery. Battery swaps make sure that the health of batteries available in the service network.
NIO Certified also offers advantages for repurchase, including NIO value point rewards, battery upgrades at a 40% discount, and discounts for Nio Pilot and autonomous driving packages.
NIO Certified is seen as a move to speed up the company’s sales momentum, especially at a time when bigger rival Tesla Inc has started to sell its China-made Model Y at a discounted price.
Nio reported a 121% year-over-year increase in deliveries in December, topping off a year that saw the company rebounding strongly from the coronavirus crisis in the first two months of the year.
