Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
In mid-January, Nio’s sub-brand Onvo faced allegations on Chinese social media of pressuring employees to purchase the L60 SUV through an internal program. Onvo Vice President Xia Qinghua said at the time that he had reprimanded a store manager for requiring sales staff to buy the vehicle.
The dispute escalated in recent days after a former sales employee in Wuhan displayed protest banners on his vehicle, according to a report from the media outlet ITHome. Onvo reacted earlier this week defending that the claims were false.
In a new statement shared on the social media platform Xiaohongshu, the former employee stated, “I want to make it clear to everyone that the company did not force me to buy the car,” adding that previous remarks made on social media were “aggressive” and had a “negative impact.”
The employee had earlier accused Onvo of requiring staff to participate in an internal car purchase program and refusing to repurchase vehicles under an alleged agreement. The dispute escalated when the individual staged a public protest with banners accusing the company of withholding its February salary and going back on its commitments.
However, in the latest statement, the former employee said Onvo’s human resources department had “actively communicated” with them and had withdrawn the previous notification regarding their employment status.
The company has also agreed to pay outstanding wages and contribute social insurance for February, according to the statement.
“I sincerely appreciate the company’s leadership for taking the time to understand the cause of the incident in depth, which made me feel the warmth and care of the Onvo family,” the former employee said, using the Chinese name for Onvo.
The individual urged the matter to be put to rest and not be “deliberately misinterpreted” to avoid further harm to both themselves and the company.
Here’s the translation of the full statement.
“To clarify, in order to better experience and use the company’s products, as well as to facilitate test drives, I purchased a Onvo L60 through the company’s internal purchase discount channel. Here, I want to make it clear to everyone that the company did not force me to buy the car.
Previously, in order to protect my personal rights, I made some aggressive remarks on social media, which had a negative impact. I sincerely apologize to everyone for that.
Additionally, the relevant HR personnel at the company headquarters have actively communicated with me and have withdrawn the previous notification. The company will pay my wages based on my resignation date and will also contribute my social insurance for February.
I sincerely appreciate the company’s leadership for taking the time to understand the cause of the incident in depth, which made me feel the warmth and care of the Onvo family. I hope this matter ends here and is not deliberately misinterpreted, so as to avoid further harm to both myself and the company.”
As done in January, the company had said earlier this week that it “has never forced employees to buy cars,” explaining that “the individual in question was a sales employee in the Wuhan regional office who purchased an Onvo L60 under the company’s internal discount program.”
Onvo delivered 5,912 vehicles in January, well below its production capacity target of 16,000 units for the month. The company met its December target of 10,000 units and now aims to reach 20,000 in March.