Hi friend,

In America, the government decided this comparison for you. In Dubai, I got to make it myself.

I’ve owned my NIO for three months. Then I drove the AVATR 12, which had even more technology to explore.

Three months of ownership gives you a different starting point. You’re comparing something new with something that has become part of your routine. You have a better sense of what you use, what matters to you, and what might actually make a difference.

A comparison I couldn’t make back home

When people talk about the benefits of living abroad, the conversation often starts with the big things.

A different pace of life. Career opportunities. Healthcare. The cost of living.

Then there are the smaller discoveries that gradually change your perspective.

A brand you hadn’t considered. A service you didn’t know existed. Technology you can experience in person rather than watch someone else use online.

The AVATR was one of those moments.

The two vehicles I was comparing have a connection. AVATR began as Changan-NIO, a joint venture between Changan and NIO, before developing its current partnership with Huawei and CATL.

So after three months with my NIO, I was trying a vehicle whose history connected back to it, but whose technology had developed in a different direction.

Living in Dubai gave me access to both.

It also reminded me how easily we confuse the choices available in our own market with the full range of choices that exist.

You can spend years researching a purchase and still be choosing from a selection that has already been narrowed by regulations, distribution agreements, and decisions about where a company will sell.

Moving abroad changes that selection.

It doesn’t tell you what to choose. It gives you something else to compare.

The Fine Print

There’s a specific reason the American market looks different.

The US Commerce Department’s connected-vehicle rule restricts certain China-linked software used for vehicle connectivity and automated driving, with those restrictions applying from the 2027 model year. It also restricts sales by Chinese-controlled connected-vehicle manufacturers.

The stated concerns include sensitive data collection and the possibility of remote interference.

Huawei’s role in AVATR’s technology is relevant to that broader framework. But the restrictions extend beyond Huawei and beyond a single model. They concern who develops, supplies, and controls the connected systems inside a vehicle.

That distinction matters. This is about more than whether an overseas manufacturer decides to open an American dealership.

For those of us living elsewhere, access brings its own questions.

Which features work in the local market? Who provides servicing? What does the warranty cover? Will connected services and software updates remain supported?

Those are the details I would want to understand before turning an interesting test drive into a purchase.

Having more options is useful. Knowing what it would mean to live with them is what makes the comparison worthwhile.

Would you choose differently?

One thing living abroad teaches you is to pause before assuming what’s familiar is the only practical option.

Sometimes you try something new and appreciate what you already have. Sometimes it changes what you want next.

Either way, you’re making the decision with a wider view.

That’s what interested me about driving the AVATR after three months with my NIO: the chance to compare two experiences for myself, in a market where both were within reach.

What have you discovered while living or traveling abroad that you wish you could choose back home?

Hit reply. I’d love to hear what it was, and whether you’d actually buy or use it.

this week's youtube

I Bought a Chinese EV 3 Months Ago. Then I Drove the AVATR 12 in Dubai

After three months with my NIO, I tried the AVATR 12 and found even more technology to explore. This week, I share a comparison and how living in Dubai gives me access to options I don’t have back home.

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