Niu: Two people were killed in a car crash on the ground of the Shanghai building

A Nio employee and an employee of a partner company were killed in the accident Chinese electric car maker He said in a statement Thursday.

Both were inside the experimental car, which crashed Wednesday afternoon in the Shanghai Innovation Park, New (NIO) He said in a Weibo post. company The headquarters is within the industrial zone.

“According to the analysis of the situation at the site, we can tentatively confirm that it was an accident (not for vehicle reasons),” she added.

Neo also said it was cooperating with the police investigation into the cause of the accident.

The company did not respond to a request for additional comment from CNN Business.

At least Niu’s statement about the accident attracted 78 million views on Weibo Over 1,700 discussion posts. Videos Online circulating shows rescue workers in orange suits trying to rescue passengers in the apparently badly damaged vehicle.

Founded by Chinese entrepreneur William Lee in 2014, Nio has become one of the fastest growing electric car startups in China, and one of Elon Musk’s many domestic competitors to Tesla.

Last year, it delivered 91,429 vehicles, up 109% from 2020, according to the company. During the first five months of this year, 37,866 units were delivered, up 12% over the same period last year.

Tesla was the best-selling pure electric vehicle in China until April, when the Covid-19 shutdown in Shanghai It affected its sales and supply chains. China BYD (BYDDF)backed by Warren Buffett, outperformed Tesla that month.

Nio listed its shares on the New York Stock Exchange in 2018.