On October 28, Xinhua published a "Made in China" dispatch from Regensburg, Germany, telling the story of a growing community of German owners of Chinese electric vehicles. On a recent holiday, 27-year-old German software engineer Reinerich Bitner set off in his NIO EL7 to a monthly owners' meetup — having previously driven BMWs, Mercedes, Porsches, a Renault and a Tesla, he now keeps two Chinese EVs in his garage.
Bitner said his choice was not first about price or brand but about a "simple, intelligent experience." Having traveled across China this spring and test-driven multiple Chinese models, he was struck by how naturally intelligent features are embedded in the driving process — directly selecting specific charging stations in navigation, completing operations by voice assistant, and using the in-car assistant to adjust the air conditioning. "You see it differently once you've actually been to China and driven these cars," he said.
By the time the group reached Regensburg, about 20 Chinese NEVs had rolled in. Owners swapped stories of fast battery swapping in China — pulling in and swapping a pack in just three to four minutes — and of driving Chinese EVs to Norway and the Netherlands. Andreas Tasch, a Munich IT consultant who has driven a Chinese EV for three years, said the software, smart cockpit and surrounding function ecosystem left the deepest impression.
The story underscores how Chinese new-energy vehicles, built on software and intelligent experience rather than legacy brand equity, are quietly building grassroots communities of users in the heart of Europe's auto homeland.
Source: Xinhua
