According to the company, two people involved in testing for electric car maker NIO died when one of its vehicles fell three stories from a Shanghai building.
The pair, described as “digital cabin testers,” was inside the vehicle as it fell from a parking garage in the firm’s Innovation Port building, according to the company.
One employee and one employee from a partner company were killed in the crash, which occurred on Wednesday around 5.20 p.m. local time.
The pair, described as “digital cabin testers,” was inside the vehicle as it fell from a parking garage in the firm’s Innovation Port building, according to the company.
Images in Chinese media showed the vehicle lying on its side, the roof caved in, surrounded by broken glass and emergency personnel.
NIO added that the incident will be investigated by government officials, even though it appeared to be an accident and “not caused by the vehicle.”
In a statement, the company stated: “Our company has worked with the public security department to launch an investigation and analysis of the accident’s cause.
“We can initially confirm that this was an accident based on the analysis of the situation at the scene (not caused by the vehicle).
“We are deeply saddened by this accident and would like to express our heartfelt condolences to our colleague and partner employee who were killed. A team has been formed to assist the families.”
NIO is one of China’s largest home-grown companies, aiming to dominate the electric vehicle industry.
It focuses on using interchangeable batteries in its vehicles to help reduce charging time.
About Elon Musk’s rival US-based electric carmaker, the company has frequently been dubbed China’s “Tesla killer.”
Tesla also has a massive manufacturing facility in Shanghai.
