AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE EUROSTARS

TITLE: Executive Vice President, Chairman of Product Committee
COMPANY: Nio
BASED: Shanghai 
AGE: 53
NATIONALITY: Chinese

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Mark Zhou holds a bachelor’s degree in applied science from Fudan University and an MBA from China Europe International Business School. He started his automotive career at General Motors China, then spent nine years at Lear, where he was an executive director. He joined Nio in 2015, five months after the company was founded. Since 2017 Zhou has been chairman of Nio’s product committee.

REASONS FOR WINNING

The user experience has become more and more crucial for car buyers as the powertrain transitions to full electrification. Nowhere is that more important than at Nio, the premium Chinese EV maker that is just starting to have an impact in Europe. 

Under Zhou’s leadership, Nio has been laser-focused on software. Its in-house team of developers is responsible for the software used in critical smart features for Nio's autonomous driving, digital cockpit, connectivity and data operations solutions. “We are investing in our own future,” Zhou says. Nio has opened an innovation center in Berlin to create software tailored to European customers' tastes. But for the moment, a number of important people in Europe are already convinced that Nio is on the right track: The ET7 flagship won the prestigious Golden Steering Wheel award in Germany just weeks after its launch. Jury members praised its seats, haptic-touch experience and “top-notch overall performance,” as well as its NOMI in-vehicle artificial intelligence system.