Nio has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Germany’s Bosch Group during Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to China, strengthening ties between the Chinese electric vehicle maker and one of Europe’s largest automotive suppliers.
Nio said the partnership will span all three of its brands — Nio, Onvo and Firefly — and focus on collaboration in core technologies for smart electric vehicles. Areas of cooperation include steer-by-wire chassis systems, battery management systems, electric powertrains and autonomous driving perception modules.
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The agreement was concluded during Merz’s two-day visit to China, which included meetings with senior political and business leaders. Nio founder and Chief Executive William Li participated in a Sino-German Economic Advisory Council symposium in Beijing, where discussions covered supply chain stability, green development and bilateral investment.
The partnership comes as Chinese automakers face additional tariffs in the European Union on battery-electric vehicles imported from China. Nio is subject to an additional surcharge of up to 21%, on top of the EU’s standard 10% import tariff. China and the EU have recently signaled progress toward potential price undertakings that could replace some of the additional duties.
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Despite trade tensions, Nio has continued to expand its operations in Germany, Europe’s largest automotive market. The company established a global design center in Munich and has since opened innovation and smart driving facilities in Berlin and Brandenburg. It has also expanded its Nio House customer experience locations in cities including Hamburg.
The collaboration with Bosch highlights ongoing industrial cooperation between Chinese and German companies in the automotive supply chain, even as regulatory and trade frameworks evolve.