Firefly to enter European market in first half of 2025 through dealers, Nio CEO says

Nio will launch Firefly electric hatchback in Europe in the first half of next year, Nio’s CEO William Li confirmed on Sunday. Unlike the Onvo or Nio brands, Firefly sales will rely on a third-party dealer’s network.

Firefly is the brand name and name of the first model. It is a compact electric hatchback aimed at young buyers. Firefly is Nio’s smallest and cheapest car, which comes with some challenges: It won’t be able to use Nio’s battery swap network of 2,900 stations because its battery pack is smaller than that of Nio and Onvo.

Nio also doesn’t build swap stations for Firefly in advance; they will install it “per user’s needs.” The container swap stations are smaller, cheaper, and easier to install, according to Firefly CEO Daniel Jin.

Nio didn’t share many details about the Firefly hatchback during the launch conference, which was mainly focused on the Nio ET9 launch. The battery capacity, car dimensions, powertrain, and whether it is RWD or FWD weren’t disclosed.

The car was designed in Munich by the European team led by ex-BMW veteran Kris Tomasson. From the pictures and presentation we know it has hidden door handles, nine airbags, 92 liter frunk, and 1,250 liter trunk with rear seats down. The turning radius is 4.7 meters, and the car will be equipped with Nio’s autonomous parking technology powered by a smart driving chip from Horizon Robotics.

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Nio says Firefly is a global EV that will also launch in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and other markets. The company also also reiterated its goal to enter 25 countries by 2025.

The tri-circular headlights in the front and rear, arranged like iPhone cameras, sparked much discussion in China. When asked about it at the media event, Li explained, “In terms of design orientation, you must consider global users’ preferences. Sometimes, one side may like it more, and the other may like it less. I think this is completely understandable.”

The Firefly brand was launched on December 21. The first model will be launched in China in April 2025, and deliveries will follow shortly. The pre-sale price of Firefly’s first EV is 148,800 yuan (20,400 USD). Based on Li’s H1 announcement, the European launch will happen in May or June.

It will rival BYD Dolphin, Zeekr X, and the recently launched Lynk & Co Z20 in China. In Europe, Firefly will compete with Volkswagen ID.3, BMW’s Mini, and Smart #1 from the Mercedes-Benz & Geely joint venture. Firefly didn’t announce any dealership names or countries where Firefly will enter first, but William Li said that their partners “must be ready”.