Shanghai-based Nio Group will present Firefly in Singapore during the upcoming weeks, as it prepares for the launch of its most affordable sub-brand in the market next month.
Between December 19 and January 4, 2026, interested customers will be able to access a private preview event for the Firefly brand at 45 Leng Kee Road, the local distributor Wearnes Automotive announced in an email seen by EV.
Singapore will be among the first right-hand drive (RHD) markets to receive the Firefly debut EV, after Nio said in mid-November that it had begun producing right-hand-drive models for export to the country.
The brand is also launching in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau. The UK, Thailand, and Australia are planned for later in 2026.
Last month, Firefly chief Daniel Jin encouraged the Singapore distributor to deploy Nio‘s battery swap stations across the territory, after saying the company is negotiating to built three to five stations in Hong Kong.
Nio’s distributor in Singapore is also responsible for other premium and luxury brands in the market, including Polestar, Lotus, Volvo, and Aston Martin.
The Nio and Firefly brands will join several other Chinese automakers currently available in the country, including Chery, Changan‘s Deepal, Dongfeng, Guangzhou-based GAC and XPeng, the Geely brand Zeekr, among others.
Nio Expansion Strategy
The Singapore launch will feature only the Firefly brand initially, unlike Nio‘s expansion to Costa Rica and Uzbekistan announced simultaneously last August.
In Costa Rica, Nio plans to offer the EL8, EL6, ET5 Touring, Onvo L60, and Firefly‘s debut EV.
Along with these models, Uzbekistan will receive the ET5 sedan. However, the Firefly sub-brand is not planned to launch there.
These are the first markets where Onvo is expanding overseas, after only being available in China. It is planned to enter Europe in 2027.
In China, and according to local media outlet Lanjinger, the Nio Group is reportedly piloting a new retail cooperation model that allows users to open stores while the company provides sales staff.
The model will allow the company to expand its physical presence without the high capital costs of flagship showrooms — similar to how it has relied on local distributor partnerships in new markets.
Firefly Expansion
Firefly, on the other hand, was initially launched in several European markets, including countries where Nio already operates, such as Norway and the Netherlands, as well as in new markets.
Through local distributors, Nio and Firefly have recently entered Belgium, Austria, Portugal, and Hungary, while relaunching in Denmark.
Following a sales slowdown in recent months, early December data shows a rebound in registrations across major markets.
Even without Germany — which reports sales at the end of the month — Nio has already exceeded its previous month-over-month and year-over-year figures.
