Nio Group Senior Vice President Kris Tomasson travelled to Milan this week to unveil a one-off Firefly customisation concept at Milan Design Week.
The installation marks the Chinese EV maker’s debut at one of the world’s most prominent design events as expansion to new European markets continue.
Titled “Glow Rod Garage,” the event runs from April 20 to 26 in the Brera Design District.
“A tribute to the original passion for modification found in every garage,” Firefly wrote on Weibo. “Balancing restraint and tension in its design, it sketches out a bold expression of ‘glow freely.'”
Nio‘s founder and CEO William Li also highlighted the designer’s presence on X this Tuesday.
“We’re also showcasing the firefly glow rod, a Designer’s Edition by our Senior Vice President of Design, Kris Tomasson,” he wrote, inviting people in Milan to “come by and enjoy an immersive experience.”
The Milan debut comes weeks after Firefly launched a refreshed version of its debut model in China on April 7.
The update added new colour options, expanded driver-assistance features and a free over-the-air motor (OTA) power upgrade from 105 kW to 120 kW for all existing owners.
The new iteration retains the same pricing as the original lineup, with a Freedom Edition starting at 119,800 yuan ($17,500) and a Glow Edition at 125,800 yuan ($18,400).
As of Tuesday, it is unclear when — or if — the revamped version will be introduced in overseas markets.
Firefly delivered its 50,000th unit late last month, eleven months after handovers began.
Design Leadership at Nio
Tomasson’s presence in Milan carries particular weight, as the Icelandic-American designer is not only the creative lead behind Firefly’s debut model but also the architect of the broader Nio brand identity.
He joined the company in 2015, before it rebranded from “NextEV” to “Nio” about a decade ago. Before that, he was Head of Exterior Design for BMW i.
In his first 100 days, Tomasson reportedly completed the exterior designs of Nio’s EP9 supercar and the ES8 SUV.
At the same time, he developed the Nio brand identity, including its name, colours, and logo.
Tomasson oversees design for both the Nio and Firefly brands.
He is not, however, involved in the Onvo sub-brand — which launched a year prior to Firefly and has recently experienced a wave of senior design departures.
In February, Raul Pires, Nio‘s Vice President of Design for the Onvo sub-brand, left the company to join Ford Motor Co. as head of design for Ford China and Asia.
His exit came just days after Benwadih Adil, Onvo‘s exterior design director and one of Nio‘s longest-serving design team members — having joined in 2016 — departed to become director of Leapmotor‘s newly established European Advanced Design Center in Munich.
Beijing Auto Show
The Nio Group will showcase all three of its brands — Nio, Onvo, and Firefly — at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, which opens on April 24.
The three marques will share a single booth for the first time, after Onvo had a separate one at the Shanghai Auto Show last year — with which the Beijing event alternates biannually.
A press conference by founder and CEO William Li is scheduled for 10 a.m. local time on the opening day.
The unified Beijing booth is part of a broader strategic shift.
After initially keeping its sub-brands at arm’s length from the premium Nio marque, the company has been consolidating the three brands across multiple functions.
Earlier this year, Nio opened its first ‘Sky Store’ in Jiangmen, Guangdong province — a multi-brand retail format bringing all three brands under a single roof.
The company plans to expand this format into lower-tier Chinese cities, targeting coverage of approximately 210 prefecture-level cities.
The shift reflects a reversal from Nio‘s early approach, when it deliberately downplayed the connection between Onvo and its premium brand.
In an internal letter earlier this year, Li framed the brand hierarchy differently depending on the market.
“In China, our lineup is ‘Nio, Onvo, Firefly,’ while globally it is ‘Firefly, Onvo, Nio,'” the CEO wrote to employees.
Besides doubling its European market presence last year, the first Nio Americas store opened in Costa Rica last month — the first overseas location to bring all three brands under one roof.
Nio also recently expanded its subscription-based vehicle offer across all three brands through a broadened partnership with Alipay.
European Markets
Despite Firefly‘s appearance at one of Milan’s most high-profile cultural events, Nio has not yet unveiled plans to enter the Italian market.
Across Europe, Nio operates in over a dozen markets through partnerships with local distributors last year.
The company aims to lower fixed costs while increasing demand for its vehicles through the dealer’s networks.
The company launched in the Southern European market of Portugal late last year through a distribution partnership with JAP Group, introducing both the Nio and Firefly brands.
It has also entered neighbouring Spain’s orbit: Firefly brand chief Daniel Jin disclosed in November 2025 that the company was in discussions with Spanish partners to expand there.
No timeline has been provided for that market.
Nio registered just eight new vehicles in Germany in the first quarter of 2026 and is now seeking subtenants for its four flagship showrooms in the country as it transitions toward an asset-light distribution model.
The number of Nio Houses globally fell for the first time at the end of 2025, declining from 180 to 171 locations.
