Firefly, the third brand under China’s Nio Group, commenced deliveries of its first model in China on Tuesday, as the fully electric brand prepares for a broader international rollout.
Customers can currently only purchase the vehicle with the battery included, priced from 119,800 yuan ($16,400).
A version with Nio’s battery-as-a-service (BaaS) model — which allows users to lease batteries separately and swap them at the upcoming generation of stations — will be introduced in August, according to the company.
The debut Firefly model will support Nio’s upcoming fifth-generation battery swap stations. In the interim, buyers are being offered a 3,000 yuan ($410) charging voucher while the company finalises BaaS pricing, which is expected to be announced in early August.
Firefly will allow Nio to enter the compact EV segment against models such as BMW’s Mini and Mercedes-Benz’s Smart. The brand was formally launched in the Netherlands and Norway last week, with test drives scheduled to begin this summer. Orders are now open in the Dutch market, where the model starts at €29,900 ($33,970).
Nio currently operates 59 battery swap stations across its five European markets, with a 60th set to open in Germany in the coming weeks. However, none of these stations are compatible with Firefly vehicles, leaving the company’s battery swap strategy for Europe unclear.
Firefly aims to be present in 16 countries across five continents by the end of the year. Target markets include the UK, Singapore, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal and Norway.
The selection was influenced by what Daniel Ge, head of Firefly, described as “relatively friendly policies, such as low tariffs, or favourable subsidies and traffic rights.”
Ge, speaking at the Shanghai Auto Show, said development of Firefly’s second model was already under way. He declined to disclose order numbers — in line with Nio Group’s broader policy — but said customer interest in test drives has been strong.
“Right now, test drives are fully booked from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., basically at full capacity,” he said. “Some regions have already asked for more test drive vehicles.”
Nio shares surged nearly 8% on Monday after Citi analyst Jeff Chung added the stock to the “30-Day Positive Catalyst Watch” list. Citi increased its 2026 full year sales estimates by nearly 150,000 units while saying that it expects the company “to launch new models much earlier than the consensus expected.”
