Daniel Ge, head of Nio’s newly launched Firefly brand, said at the Shanghai Auto Show that the marque — positioned as a rival to MINI and Smart — has already begun early-stage development of its second model.
The brand was officially launched in the Netherlands and Norway on Wednesday marking the first two of over a dozen international markets Firefly will be launched this year.
Nio Group’s founder and CEO William Li said earlier this week that the brand will expand to 16 countries across 5 continents this year.
Commenting on the selection criteria, Daniel Ge said the brand opted for the markets that “have relatively friendly policies, such as low tariffs, or favorable subsidies and traffic rights policies” and EV friendly countries.
Belgium and Luxembourg, two of the European markets Firefly plans to enter this year, recorded new energy penetration rates above 33% in the first quarter, significantly higher than the EU average of 13.6%, as initially reported by China’s media outlet ‘红星资本局.’
“Because of this, we won’t insist on a fully self-operated model overseas. Instead, we’ll rely on general distributors or dealers,” the executive stated, confirming that the Group’s third brand will adopt a different approach from the Nio brand due to the lack of brand awareness.
“Overseas sales ceilings are higher, but it’s a long process with a relatively flat growth curve,” Ge noted. “In contrast, China’s ceiling is lower but growth is faster because the market is mature, and we can directly enter Nio showrooms.”
The executivve said Firefly sees MINI as “a respectable rival.”
“Because Firefly and Nio’s relationship is like that of BMW and MINI. This analogy helps users understand who we are. When we announced the presale price of 148,800 yuan on December 11 last year, it was to set a psychological price anchor,” Ge said.
“Strictly speaking, the premium small car market hasn’t yet been developed. We need to cooperate to make the pie bigger,” he added.
In China, test drives for Firefly’s debut model are “basically at full capacity,” according to the brand’s chief. “Right now, test drives are fully booked from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., basically at full capacity,” Ge stated. “Some regions have already asked for more test drive vehicles.”
In mid-March, Nio and CATL — the world’s largest battery manufacturer — signed a partnership to “advance the high-quality development of the new energy vehicle industry by building a battery swapping network for passenger vehicles.”
Amid the announcement, Nio’s main battery supplier and the latest China player to enter the battery swap technology, stated it would also “pursue capital cooperation” and invest up to 2.5 billion yuan ($343 million) in Nio’s energy business, ‘Nio Power’.
Regarding Firefly, CATL said its “Choco-Swap technical standards and network will be introduced to the subsequent newly developed models of Firefly.”
Asked about the announcement, Firefly’s chief said the “current cars do not use [CATL’s] Chocolate batteries,” adding that the company “will stick with the current battery packs, which are compatible with the fifth-generation battery swap stations.”
Commenting on the deal, Daniel Ge said, “Both sides are currently in the technical handshake phase, so there’s very limited information that can be disclosed right now.”
Questioned about Nomi, the in-car AI voice assistant present across all Nio brand vehicles, Firefly’s head said the brand will follow Onvo’s strategy and also have a separate profile.
“We firmly believe Nomi is tied to the Nio brand, not the Nio Group. It’s a strong brand symbol of Nio. NOMI belongs to the Nio brand, not the group. Onvo’s voice assistant is called ‘Xiao Le’ and not Nomi either.”
Deliveries in China of Firefly‘s debut model will begin on April 29, but only the version with battery included, priced from 119,800 yuan ($16,400).
Orders are now open for the Dutch market with prices starting at €29,900 — equivalent to $33,970. Although the date for the first deliveries in the Netherlands is not yet known, Nio said test drives will begin “this summer.”
Pricing for Nio’s battery as a service (BaaS) program, which allows customers in China to rent the battery and access the battery swap stations, will be known in early August. Until then, Firefly is offering a 3,000 yuan ($410) charging voucher.
