Nio Firefly plans to enter UK and Thailand in 2026
Nio's premium compact car brand, Firefly, will enter the UK and Thailand in 2026, targeting right-hand drive markets without punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs. The brand is also focusing on the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. Firefly's president, Daniel Jin, emphasized the importance of positioning Firefly as a premium brand. The first batch of right-hand-drive Firefly cars has entered mass production, with Singapore as the initial market. Firefly aims to expand further into Europe, North America, and Asia.
- Firefly will enter the UK and Thailand in 2026, expanding its exploration in right-hand drive markets free from punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs.
- The UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia are priority markets in the short term, Firefly president said.
Nio Inc's (NYSE: NIO) premium compact car brand Firefly will enter the UK and Thailand in 2026, accelerating its expansion in markets free from punitive tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs).
The brand's president Daniel Jin mentioned the plan in an interview with Reuters, saying Firefly is currently in discussions with local distributors in the UK and Thailand, according to a report yesterday.
"We will significantly ramp up our efforts in countries without tariff barriers in the short term," Jin said, naming Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia as key markets.
Join us on Telegram or Google News
He did not disclose Firefly's projected sales volume in these markets but cautioned that growth may be slow as consumer trust remains to be established.
Nio announced yesterday that right-hand-drive Firefly cars have entered mass production, with the first batch destined for Singapore.
This marks a significant step in Firefly's global expansion, paving the way for entry into more international markets, the EV maker said.
Nio formally launched the Firefly brand at Nio Day 2024 on December 21, 2024, positioning it to challenge Mini and Smart. The brand's namesake first model, the Firefly EV, was launched in China on April 19.
On August 14, Firefly commenced deliveries in Europe, with Norway and the Netherlands as the first available countries.
To date, Firefly has commenced deliveries in the Netherlands, Norway, and Belgium, with test drives and deliveries set to launch soon in Denmark, Greece, Austria, Portugal, and Luxembourg.
Nio originally planned to debut Firefly in Europe first but shifted to a China launch due to higher tariffs on Chinese EVs in Europe.
The Firefly EV sells for about 29,900 euros ($34,640) in Europe, higher than the initially planned 25,000 euros, primarily due to tariffs, Reuters noted.
Currently, the Firefly EV starts at RMB 119,800 ($16,840) in China, making it the most affordable model under the Nio Inc umbrella.
In Singapore, the Firefly EV will be positioned as a premium compact vehicle, priced above competitors like BYD's (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) Dolphin to avoid a price war with domestic rivals overseas, Jin said.
"One key point we emphasized during our negotiations with the distributors is that you cannot simply regard Firefly as just another made-in-China EV," said Jin. "If we lower its positioning, we're done for."
Nio Firefly ships large batch of cars to Europe, overseas expansion to include North America
Firefly is deepening its market penetration in Europe, North America, and Asia, it said, revealing for the first time its market expansion efforts will include North America.
($1 = EUR 0.8633, $1 = RMB 7.1096)
