In Shanghai, China, two people inside the vehicle were killed when a vehicle fell from the third floor.
Electric car maker Nio announced that the vehicle fell from the company’s headquarters building. It is stated that one of the dead is a company employee and the other is a staff member of one of Nio’s partner companies.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, according to the company.
Nio announced that an investigation has been launched into the incident. It is said that there is a showroom on the third floor where the vehicle fell and the vehicles were tested here.
Nio’s statement said, “Our company is cooperating fully with the state authorities in the investigation launched to determine the cause of the accident. Initial investigations at the scene indicate that the incident was an accident and not caused by the vehicle.”
Checkin story of two test drivers at #China‘s electrical vehicle manufacturer NIO being killed when a car somehow smashed out of a building and came crashing down from a great height. pic.twitter.com/4ZNI2t7LqZ
— Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) June 23, 2022
The company removed this statement, which it published on Weibo, which is defined as China’s Twitter, half an hour after the statement that “it was not caused by the vehicle” drew a reaction.
While one user said, “This statement shows the composure of capitalism,” another user wrote, “Indifferent until the last sentence. Test drivers come to test the vehicle, but you say that the accident has nothing to do with the vehicle.”
Another comment said, “It’s the public safety department’s job to say whether it was an accident or not.”
The company later changed its description and republished it. While keeping the statement that the incident was an accident, it was seen that the phrase “not caused by the vehicle” was included in the paragraph.
Nio is in fierce competition with Elon Musk’s Tesla company, which has a large factory in Shanghai.
Nio, sometimes described as the “Tesla killer” in the media, is known for its replaceable battery technology, which it developed to address concerns about frequent charging of electric vehicles.