He Left BMW to Help Build an EV Empire

You've probably seen Kris Tomasson's work. But there's a good chance you've never heard his name. Before joining a little-known Chinese EV startup, Tomasson had built an extraordinary career spanning BMW, Ford, Coca-Cola and Gulfstream Aerospace. He eventually became Head of Exterior Design for BMW i — but in 2015, he walked away from BMW to join an ambitious company then known as NextEV. That company would become NIO. And Tomasson's contribution went far beyond designing cars. In this video, we uncover the largely unknown story of the designer who says he created the NIO name and NIO logo, helped establish the company's original design language, worked on the EP9 and first-generation ES8, and helped turn William Li's vision into a recognizable global brand. We also explore how Tomasson's unusual background in automotive design, branding, luxury and user experience may help explain why NIO developed into something very different from a traditional automaker — from NIO House and NOMI to its broader emphasis on community, lifestyle and human-centered design. And more than a decade later, Tomasson's influence continues with Firefly, NIO's newest global EV brand. So is Kris Tomasson the "Steve Jobs" of NIO? Not literally. William Li founded NIO and remains its central visionary. But Tomasson's story reveals just how important design, branding and user experience were to NIO from the very beginning. The name. The logo. The cars. The identity. This is the story of Kris Tomasson. Topics covered: Kris Tomasson • NIO • William Li • NextEV • NIO logo • NIO name • NIO design • BMW i • BMW i8 • NIO EP9 • NIO ES8 • NIO ET9 • Firefly • Chinese EVs • EV design • automotive design • electric vehicles If you enjoy deep dives into NIO's technology, engineering, battery swapping, SkyOS, semiconductor development and the people behind the company, subscribe for more. Disclaimer: This video is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this video should be considered financial or investment advice. #NIO #KrisTomasson #ElectricVehicles