Nio closes hubs in Cologne and Weiterstadt
Nio will close its hubs in Cologne and Weiterstadt near Frankfurt at the end of September 2026. After that, Munich will remain the only Nio hub in Germany and thus the only Nio location with its own workshop. However, the Chinese manufacturer refers customers to a network of selected workshops for service.
Image: Nio
Nio had already informed affected users of this move in nearly identical announcements at the end of July 2026, which are available to _Eletric Vehicles_. The startup cites current market conditions and the restructuring of its European operations as reasons.
The two announcements from Nio’s German hubs in Cologne and Weiterstadt were themed “Nio remains committed to the German market and its users.” In a response to owners in the Nio app’s community section, a Nio representative explained that the company had decided to send notifications only to the directly affected users. She described the closures as “a planned optimization in response to a European market that is changing for all manufacturers due to tariffs, increased competition, and slower market development.” She denied any withdrawal from Europe or Germany.
Going forward, customers are supposed to book maintenance appointments through Nio app’s one-click service with trained workshops in their area. The announcement does not specify which workshops these are.
Two out of three service centers to close
Unlike the Nio Houses, which are urban showrooms without their own service centers, the hubs also handle vehicle deliveries and maintenance. With Köln and Weiterstadt, Nio is now closing two more of its three German service centers at the same time.
The manufacturer has also reduced its network of Nio Houses. According to _Manager Magazin_ citing _Eletric Vehicles_ in April 2026, Nio was looking for new tenants for its four German Nio Houses in Berlin, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg. However, the Nio House in Hamburg was permanently closed in July 2026. The three locations in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Düsseldorf remain open.
19 registrations in eight months
Site consolidation comes at a time when registration numbers are declining sharply. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, Nio recorded only 19 new registrations from January to August 2026. This represents a 90.1 percent drop compared to 191 units in the same period last year. The full year of 2025 saw 325 vehicles, while 2023 saw even 1,263.
Meanwhile, Nio is restructuring its operations in Europe. In March 2026, the manufacturer confirmed a comprehensive reorganization of its activities in Europe. The organization is now meant to be more coordinated at the European level rather than managed on a country-by-country basis. As part of this, David Sultzer, the head of Nio’s German operations, also left the company. Earlier in February, Nio had already shifted its sales approach in Europe, excluding Norway, to rely more on distribution partners.
Nio will continue to support existing vehicles with service, warranty, and spare parts. It was also reported in May 2026 that Nio does not plan to bring any new model generations to Europe or build additional battery swap stations in the region before the end of 2027. The company has since delayed the European launch of its Onvo brand to 2028 or 2029.