Chinese electric carmaker Ulai has denied rumors that it will build a plant in Europe, although it is planning to expand car sales outside Norway, according to foreign media reports.
It had been reported that there was an advertisement on LinkedIn's website to recruit an "EU plant operations manager", so there was speculation that Weilai was planning to build a production base in Poland.
According to the job advertisement on LinkedIn, the manager's main responsibility is to "set up an EU factory, ensure that the plant facilities, layout and capacity are well designed and planned, and do a good job of equipment installation". The job advertisement shows that the job is based in (Mazowieckie), Mazovche province, Poland.
However, the job advertisement was posted by a Chinese recruitment consultant based in Shanghai, not directly by Wei Lai. "Weilai does not intend to set up a production base in Poland at present," Weilai said in a statement to European Automotive News. "
Qin Lihong, co-founder and president of Weilai, will start selling electric cars in Sweden by the end of 2022, and Sweden will be one of the five European countries to enter in 2022, said Qin Lihong, co-founder and president of (Dagens Industri), a Swedish industrial newspaper.
In September this year, Weilai entered the Norwegian market, which is also the company's first foray into the European market. This year, Weilai is building four power stations around the Norwegian capital Oslo and plans to build 12 in other cities next year. These power stations can be replaced in three minutes, which is a faster alternative than charging.
Wei Lai adopted Tesla's direct marketing model, that is, consumers can buy cars directly online. Weilai has also built a number of Nio House multi-function exhibition halls in the city center, the first of which has been opened in Oslo. The exhibition hall covers an area of 2150 square meters and has a coffee shop, a rest area, a children's play area and a conference room.
In an interview with the European Automotive News in 2020, Qin Lihong said that Xilai's success in Europe may prompt the company to produce locally. "if we can get very good sales in other regions, we may consider producing locally, but it is too early to say."
At present, Xilai Motor is working with Jianghuai Automobile to produce cars in Hefei.
