Nio plans to launch in Thailand in March, the company’s head of global business said, as the Chinese electric vehicle maker expands its Firefly brand across right-hand drive markets that have no tariffs on imported EVs.
Chris Chen, Nio‘s head of global business, disclosed the timeline in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, the same day the company officially entered Singapore — its first market in Southeast Asia.
“As our first market in Southeast Asia and the launch market for our first RHD model, this marks an important milestone for both the brand and Nio‘s global journey,” Nio founder and CEO William Li wrote on X on Thursday.
Singapore Launch
Nio unveiled the Firefly at Singapore Motorshow 2026 on Thursday and opened pre-sales for the compact EV.
“Excited to share that firefly officially entered the Singapore market today at Singapore Motorshow 2026, with pre-orders open!” Li added.
As reported by EV on the last day of 2025, Nio was finalizing construction of its first showroom in Singapore.
Images circulating on social media earlier this week showed the store nearly ready to open at 45 Leng Kee Road, situated between Lotus and Harley-Davidson dealerships at the Wearnes Automotive center.
Wearnes Automotive, Nio‘s local distribution partner, operates dealerships for several premium and luxury brands at the location including Lotus, Volvo, Land Rover, Bentley, Ducati, Polestar, and Aston Martin.
The showroom is planned to feature vehicles from both Nio and Firefly brands.
Right-Hand Drive Expansion
Nio began mass producing right-hand drive vehicles in November in preparation to enter Singapore, Macau, Britain, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand.
“Right-hand drive is a sizeable market, and we will be ready to build cars for the market,” Nio co-founder and President Lihong Qin said at a media briefing last year. “We will continue to go global with our Firefly and Onvo brands.”
The right-hand drive configuration of Firefly‘s debut model was first spotted in early October at the company’s UK engineering facilities. The brand began taking orders in Macau late last year, making it the first market to open orders for the RHD version.
Tariff Avoidance Strategy
Firefly‘s focus on markets without EV tariffs reflects lessons learned from the company’s European expansion.
The European Commission imposed additional duties on Chinese-made fully electric vehicles in late 2024, forcing Firefly to raise its planned pricing in the region.
Firefly Chief Daniel Jin told Reuters recently that the company was in talks with local distributors in the UK and Thailand as it pursues markets with more favorable trade conditions.
Long-Range Variant
Late last year, Nio said Firefly’s debut model will have a long-range variant featuring a larger battery capable of delivering approximately 500 to 600 kilometers (310 to 372 miles) of range, expanding the lineup beyond the standard version currently available.
