Asian Tech Press (Aug 27) -- Two crashes about Chinese EV manufacturer Nio Inc. (NYSE: NIO) within half a month, and two tragic deaths of Chinese users, have led to a Nio fandom culture. Chinese netizens have also "affectionately" nicknamed Nio's users "Nio Loyalists" -- a title with the same Chinese pronunciation as the name of a notorious eunuch in Chinese history.
On July 30, a serious traffic accident occurred in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, where a Nio EC6 caught fire and burned after hitting a stone pier, killing the driver.
On August 12, Lin Wenqin, a 31-year-old entrepreneur, died in a traffic accident after driving a Nio ES8 car with the autopilot function (NOP pilot status) enabled.
Two accidents and two deaths in half a month brought the netizens' attention to Nio to its peak. And a series of responses from the company sparked infighting among Nio users.
Lin's death sparked public skepticism about Nio's autopilot system, so some Nio users released a joint statement online about their perception of the Nio Pilot (NP)/Navigate-on-Pilot (NOP) system. The statement, which was signed by more than 500 owners, was seen as a "disclaimer" for Nio.
The other 100,000 Nio users clearly expressed that they were against "being represented". Consequently, the Nio users who supported the joint statement were nicknamed "Nio Loyalists" and "Self-Nio Team" by netizens to satirize these users who were "dedicated to protecting their lord Nio".
The Chinese pronunciation of "Nio Loyalists" is the same as Wei Zhongxian, a notorious eunuch of the late Ming Dynasty. Wei is known as one of the ten greatest traitors in Chinese history, murdering dissidents and disrupting the dynasty.
"Self-Nio Team", pronounced "Ziweidui" Chinese, is the same as the Chinese pronunciation of the words "Self-Defense Forces“. The Self-Defense Forces (SDF), is the most dominant armed force in Japan. Due to the history of the Japanese army's invasion of China, the SDF is synonymous with fascism to the Chinese.
The titles "Nio Loyalists" and "Self-Nio Team", referring to the users who defend Nio, is undoubtedly used to enhance the irony of their loyalty and defense of the Nio brand.
