Nio’s entry-level sub-brand Firefly has registered its first vehicles in Norway as it prepares to begin customer test drives in the country later this summer, following the start of trials in the Netherlands last month.
According to the Norwegian EV registration database Elbil Statistikk, six Firefly-branded vehicles were registered in July as part of a fleet designated for upcoming test drives.
The company has not yet disclosed a precise start date, though test drives are scheduled to begin “later this summer” and first customer deliveries are expected in the autumn.
Firefly made its European debut at Norway’s Autopia Auto Show in late April. A few months later, it was shown for the first time at an event in Belgium — a new market for both Firefly and the Nio core brand.
Orders are due to open in the third quarter, with the entry-level model priced from NOK 279,900 ($27,340).
The vehicle will be available across Nio’s Norwegian retail network leveraging the core brand’s stores and avoiding higher investment to build a separate network.
Customers can currently check out the Firefly model at the flagship showrooms, Nio House Oslo and Nio House Kristiansand, as well as the smaller stores in Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger.
The rollout in Norway mirrors a similar phased launch in the Netherlands, where public test drives began on July 7 and are currently ongoing.
Dutch customers can book 90- or 120-minute slots via the local Nio App, with availability across cities including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht. In June, Nio registered six Firefly vehicles in the Netherlands ahead of the official start of trials.
Nio’s core brand also registered 25 vehicles in Norway in July, taking the group’s total registrations in the world’s most friendly EV market to 31 units. Norway became Nio‘s first market outside China in late 2021.
Firefly, positioned as Nio’s affordable offering for European buyers, had originally aimed to begin deliveries in late July. However, no handovers were announced last week.
The brand’s chief, Daniel Ge, said the Netherlands and Norway were selected as launch markets due to Nio’s ability to operate company-owned showrooms — known as Nio Houses — in both countries.
This direct-sales model allows for faster market entry compared to countries where Firefly will rely on third-party distributors.
The model will have different versions for the Chinese and European markets, including handling, suspension stiffness, and steering feel — aiming to better respond to local customer preferences/ needs.
In the Netherlands, Firefly vehicles are priced from €29,900 ($34,670), targeting a growing segment of budget EV models and competing against models from Renault, BYD, among others.
Norway, which is not subject to EU tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, remains strategically important for Chinese automakers seeking to preserve competitive pricing.
The country’s high EV adoption rate and favorable regulatory environment make it a key early testbed for Firefly’s European ambitions.
In other parts of Europe, Firefly will adopt a national distributor model, with customer deliveries expected to begin gradually later this quarter or in the fourth quarter.
The brand aims to enter more than 15 European markets by the end of 2026, in parallel with the main Nio lineup.
In July, Nio confirmed that Firefly would be introduced in Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania.
Four additional markets — Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria — are scheduled to follow in 2025 and 2026.
