Audi has filed a lawsuit to the Court of Munich, Germany accusing Chinese automaker Nio of adopting confusing naming conventions for its production cars.
The company alleges that some of the names Nio uses for its models – such as ES6 and ES8 – can be confused with its own S6 and S8. The fact that the former two are crossover SUVs and the latter two sedans does nothing to change its stance on the matter, apparently.
The action coincides with the Chinese manufacturer’s intention to enter the market in Europe. Nio plans to start car sales on the continent by launching its ET7 sedan in Germany in the fourth quarter of 2022. The ET7 is commonly regarded as a rival of the Audi A6, so there is direct competition going on between the marques.
Nio has refrained from commenting thus far. The Chinese company has its Europe HQ and design center in Munich, which explains the choice of the court and jurisdiction by Audi.
Nio has been offering its vehicles in Norway since late 2021, and plans to conquer the markets of Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden next. You may watch the enclosed video for a closer look at its ES8 sedan.