Firefly, the affordable EV sub-brand of Chinese automaker Nio, will begin customer deliveries in Europe at the end of this month, starting in the Netherlands and Norway, the company said on Wednesday.
According to Firefly brand chief Daniel Ge, the initial rollouts are possible in these two markets because the company will sell directly through Nio-owned showrooms — known as Nio Houses — enabling a faster launch than in countries reliant on third-party distribution.
Media test drives began last week, followed by the first customer test drives on Monday in the Netherlands. Pricing in the Dutch market starts at €29,900 ($35,000).
Official registration figures showed that Nio Group sold one car of the core brand in the Dutch market in June while registering six test-drive Firefly vehicles.
Norwegian deliveries are expected later this summer, with customer handovers scheduled for autumn. Unlike in the EU, Norway imposes no tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, allowing Firefly to be priced more competitively.
In other European markets, Firefly will adopt a national distributor model, with deliveries expected to begin gradually later this quarter or in the fourth one.
The brand plans to expand to more than 15 European markets by the end of 2026, in parallel with the main Nio brand.
Last month, Nio confirmed that Firefly would be introduced alongside its core lineup in seven new European markets, including Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania.
In mid-June, the company added four further markets — Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria — with entry scheduled for 2025 and 2026.
In Belgium and Luxembourg, Nio is working with the Hedin Mobility Group, one of Europe’s largest auto retail players.
AutoWallis, a leading mobility provider in Central and Eastern Europe, will handle operations in Austria and Hungary from 2025, and expand to the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania the following year.
In Portugal, distribution will begin later this year through JAP Group. Motodynamics Group will be Nio’s local partner in Greece from 2025, and in Cyprus and Bulgaria from 2026.
Firefly was developed in Munich and officially launched in December at the company’s annual event ‘Nio Day.’
The model is positioned as Nio’s most affordable vehicle to date, aimed at urban EV buyers and competitors such as MINI and Smart.
Earlier this week, the brand announced a partnership with Here Technologies to integrate global map data, real-time traffic updates, and Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) features to meet EU regulatory requirements.
The company will also use Here’s speed limit data and location services via partner Telenav to improve its EV-specific navigation systems and digital cockpit.
In China, Firefly delivered 3,932 vehicles in June, up from 3,680 in May — its first full month of sales.
Weekly insurance registration data released Tuesday showed 1,300 vehicles registered in the first week of July, a record for the brand and a 54.8% increase from the previous week.
The surge came despite broader declines across the industry following a typical end-of-quarter sales surge in late June.
