Audi files lawsuit against Chinese EV maker Nio over trademark rights – Handelsblatt

BERLIN (Reuters) – Volkswagen’s Audi has filed a lawsuit in a Munich court against Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio over an alleged infringement of Audi’s trademark rights, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Thursday.

According to Audi, Nio’s decision to name two of its models ES6 and infringes Audi’s trademark for its own model designations S6 and S8, Handelsblatt reported.

A Nio spokesperson declined to comment.

A spokesperson for Audi was not immediately available for comment to Reuters.

Nio, a premium brand which so far has made most of its sales in China, entered the Norwegian market in May last year and plans to launch in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark before the end of the year.

The company started sales in Norway with the ES8 model but has said it plans to launch in Germany with the ET7 electric sedan.

(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Madeline Chambers)