It is reported that Xilai is considering the establishment of an European dealer network, and the current sales are not as expected.

Thanks to CTOnews.com netizens for the delivery of clues about the past. CTOnews.com, Oct. 18 (Reuters)-three people familiar with the matter said that Xilai is considering setting up a dealer network in Europe to speed up sales growth, despite potential tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in the region.

Reported that Xilai, a strong competitor to Tesla's high-end models, entered the Norwegian market in 2021 and Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark in October last year, allowing customers to buy / rent cars directly from their stores or online.

But the company's president said last month that European sales fell short of expectations and that Lulai had begun to evaluate dealers in major European markets, according to two people familiar with the matter.

One person said Xilai had found "particularity" in Europe, but did not elaborate that it was planning to expand into more European countries. According to Linkedin's post, Xilai has been hiring in France, Italy, Hungary, Switzerland and Austria.

A third source said the company was considering finding dealers for Weilai brand cars sold in Europe and for the "Firefly" project, a new, more affordable electric car brand that the company plans to export to Europe from 2025.

Another reason for developing dealers is to ease the cash pressure on Xilai, which is giving priority to spending on research and power stations in China, the source said.

The official response of Weilai said that the marketing and sales methods of its brand in Europe remain unchanged and are committed to establishing a direct sales network. Its Firefly project is evaluating its European channel model, including direct sales, agents or distributors.

"We will choose the model that best suits the needs of the local market and brand development," Weilai said in an emailed statement. "

According to the CTOnews.com inquiry, Qin Leehom, president of Xilai Automobile, revealed at the Weilai Innovation and Technology Day last month that the report that Xilai sold 832 vehicles in Europe in the first half of 2023 was incorrect and that the actual figure was three to four times that figure. But he said he was not satisfied with it.