Nio (NYSE: NIO) is restructuring its smart driving team for the second time this year, aiming to expedite the implementation of end-to-end technology in its advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). This move comes as several of its domestic competitors have already integrated this technology.
According to a report from the local media outlet LatePost, Nio is on the verge of completing personnel changes in key positions within its smart driving delivery team and end-to-end technology team. This follows a previous reorganization in June focused on the same goal.
The latest restructuring is prompted by slower-than-anticipated progress in Nio’s smart driving programs, particularly in its end-to-end technology development, LatePost reported.
Within Nio’s smart driving division, which is comprised of over a dozen sub-divisions, Ren Shaoqing, the vice president of smart driving research and development, will take over the large model division from Peng Chao, as per the report. Additionally, changes have been made in the heads of the company’s deployment architecture and solutions department, as well as the time and space information department.
When questioned by LatePost, Nio stated that these adjustments are intended to optimize the delivery of advanced features to its users and to accommodate a more diverse, multi-functional business scope. The company also emphasized that this is a proactive adaptation to rapid technological and product changes.
Nio began developing its smart driving features in 2016, ahead of many of its domestic competitors. In October 2020, the company was the first local carmaker to mass-produce highway-ready NOA (Navigate on Autopilot) features, LatePost’s report noted.
Following Tesla’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) launch of the FSD V12 version, which utilizes end-to-end technology, a number of Chinese car makers and smart driving solution providers, including Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI), Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV), Huawei, Momenta, and DeepRoute, began pushing end-to-end solutions to their users. Nio, however, has yet to launch a full end-to-end smart driving solution. In July, the company did introduce an AEB (automatic emergency braking) feature based on end-to-end algorithms.
An industry source quoted by LatePost described the recent personnel changes as a continuation of the previous adjustments, designed to address weaknesses in Nio’s end-to-end technology development and to clarify responsibilities. The source added that the changes reflect a review and modification of Nio’s smart driving technology development over the past year.
Another media outlet, 36kr, reported that Nio’s Nio World Model smart driving program is scheduled to launch as early as the first quarter of next year. Nio revealed the Nio World Model at its Nio IN 2024 event on July 27, describing it as its first smart driving world model. At the same event, the company also announced NAD Arch 2.0, an end-to-end architecture that utilizes the World Model and relies on raw sensor data to make driving decisions.
