Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio registered seven vehicles in the Netherlands in June, including six units from its upcoming Firefly sub-brand — the first time the new nameplate appears in official Dutch records.
National data published on Wednesday showed that sales under the main Nio brand dropped to just one unit in June, down from 14 a year ago and five in May.
The sole Nio-branded vehicle registered last month was the flagship EL8 SUV.
The remaining six units were listed by the Dutch automotive association BOVAG as “other Nio models”. These vehicles mark the initial registrations of Firefly, Nio’s European-focused, entry-level EV sub-brand, ahead of its launch later this year.
Developed at Nio’s design center in Munich, Firefly is positioned to compete with models like the MINI and Smart, with pricing in the Netherlands starting at €29,900 ($35,330).
Though test drives begin on July 7 — as reported by EV earlier this week — the company has yet to confirm a delivery timeline for local customers.
Test drives will take place at Nio Houses in Amsterdam and Rotterdam and the Nio Hub in Utrecht, with 90-minute time slots available daily. Each location is expected to serve as a key engagement point for the brand’s broader European rollout.
The company is currently offering a range of time-limited sales incentives on its ET5 and ET7 sedans, including 0.99% financing, trade-in bonuses, and discounted charging.
However, the promotions have not translated into a rebound in sales.
The current offer is valid for in-stock inventory purchased between April 1 and July 6, 2025, and applies to vehicles under the Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) model.
Customers also benefit from electricity priced at €0.29 per kWh at all Nio fast chargers and swap stations across the Netherlands through the end of the year.
In the first half of the year, the Nio group has registered 58 vehicles in the country, compared with 263 for the whole of 2024.
Last year, the average selling price in the Dutch market stood at €86,000 — equivalent to $101,100.
The Nio brand sells six fully electric models in the country: the ET5, ET5 Touring, and ET7 sedans, and the EL6, EL7, and EL8 SUVs.
In mid-March, Nio announced that Ruben Keuter, its country manager, would step down by the end of the month.
Hamelink, who previously served as head of sales and operations, has taken over the role.
Elsewhere in Europe, Nio’s performance also weakened in June.
In Norway — its first overseas market — registrations fell to 22 units, the lowest since January 2023. In Sweden, the company sold just one vehicle in the month, an EL7 SUV, marking its weakest result since early last year.
