Nio, the Tesla of China “We can really think of Nio as the original Tesla of China”. Nio is not a very known brand in the United States but is a leading player in China’s electric vehicle market. The company is an automobile manufacturer that operates in China. The company designs, develops, and manufactures electric vehicles just like that of the famous Tesla. Nio Inc. (NYSE: NIO) was founded in 2014 by the Chinese billionaire William Li. The CEO of Nio was inspired by the American electric vehicle Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA). He was able to connect with an executive of Ford Motor and with other big-time investors with whom he shares the same vision: To make a Tesla of China from scratch. Li was backed by huge companies, one of those is Tencent which up to now has still a large stake in the car company.