NIO opens second offensive in EU including Belgium with Firefly (update)

Despite disappointing sales in the Old Continent, Chinese premium EV startup NIO stays committed to Europe. It now opens a second offensive with its Firefly sub-brand, a more affordable range of models. It will start with a compact full-electric city car launched in the Netherlands at €29,900. Belgium will be next.

NIO’s founder and CEO said in an interview that the Firefly brand will be used as an entry key in 16 new markets. In addition to the Netherlands, it will launch in Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, and Poland in Europe, as well as Costa Rica, Nepal, Singapore, Uruguay, Colombia, and New Zealand.

Firefly, the carmaker’s third car brand name after NIO and Onvo, also makes its auto show debut in Shanghai after the model’s official launch in China on April 19.

William Li, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of NIO, said, “This is the first time the three brands are collectively attending the auto show.” Meanwhile, Firefly is launching in Europe in the Netherlands, one of the young carmaker’s first European markets, which it entered in 2022.

Li suggested that existing direct sales channels, like those in the Netherlands, will likely be kept for the expansion of the Firefly brand in 16 new markets, including Belgium, in 2025. However, for the new markets, the focus will be on third-party dealers and partners.

“As Firefly flies around the world, we will try a more efficient and flexible hybrid channel, seek partners in local markets, and use their existing resources,” Li said according to CarNewsChina.

Selling few cars in Europe yet

According to the German press agency DPA, despite selling few cars, Chinese automaker NIO plans to remain in Europe as part of its long-term strategy, William Li said in Shanghai. In Germany, only 1,700 NIOs have been sold since January 2025.

Since their launch in 2022, 620 vehicles have been registered in the Netherlands. The majority are the premium sedans ET7 (274) and ET5 (136), followed by the SUVs EL6 and EL7 (75 each).

NIO, which is known to take BMW as an example for its premium brand, is also among the most expensive Chinese brands here, with an average price tag of € 84.687 euros for the cars registered so far.

Firefly was created in Munich, under the supervision of Nio’s Design Vice President Kris Tomasson, formerly of BMW and Ford. The new Firefly brand targets a new, younger public with more aggressive pricing.

William Li makes no secret of his intention to position this brand like BMW’s MINI and expects it to bring in 10% of all sales in the group. Not without wit, the CEO said that the Firefly was to be “Smarter than Mini and more Mini than Smart.” With a sub-30K euro price tag, it will be a tough competitor for these.

NIO is currently available as a premium brand in a few European countries: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany. Firefly will probably go there first. However, Nio’s other subbrand, Onvo, which will also hit European shores at the beginning of 2025, launched in the UK first, as import tariffs do not apply there.

In the EU, these amount to an excess of 30,7% for NIO. While Firefly preorders started in China in December 2024 at 148,800 yuan (€19,545), the official price for the Netherlands will be €29,900. That’s 54% more expensive than in its homeland, while it could have been as low as €23,900 without the EU’s extra tariffs.

Low curb weight and low consumption

Still, for that money, you’ll get a lot of car. Technically, the Firefly is based on an all–new TF1 platform explicitly developed for BEV applications. It is based on a 41.2 kWh battery pack and a permanent magnet–synchronous electric motor with an output of 105 kW and a maximum torque of 200 Nm. 

Due to its low curb weight of 1.467 kg and its smaller battery, which contributes 314 kilograms, the Firefly offers a range of 330 km (WLTP) and a combined energy consumption of 14,5 kWh/100 km, which is quite good for a city car.

Although the Firefly brand was announced to have a swappable battery system that is currently not compatible with the existing NIO swap stations, the official press releases for Europe do not mention swapping at all.

The First Edition, the introductory version of this European Firefly, comes standard with a 3–phase 11 kW onboard charger. In addition, the Firefly DC can fast charge with a capacity of 100 kW, which will charge the battery from 10 to 80 percent in 29 minutes, the company says.

One color only

The dimensions are compact: 4,003 mm length/1,781 mm width, 1,557 mm height, and a wheelbase of 2,615 mm. It features a 92-liter front trunk, the largest in its class, offering layered storage and a built-in drainage function if you want to drop your wet sporting gear. With the backseats folded down, there is a flat cargo space of over 1,250 liters.

The first edition comes in one standard pastel tone: lavender purple. For an additional € 700, it is also available in shades of marble, graphite, sand, and—from August—lava stone. The interior also offers a choice of two attractive color schemes: obsidian, dark gray, and travertine, light beige.

The interior is characterized by a 13.2-inch Retina central display and a 6-inch Digital Instrument Cluster for the driver. A distinctive feature is, for example, the traditional central tunnel that is missing in the front. 

The central armrest can be folded so the driver can easily slide to the passenger seat, or vice versa, to get in or out on the other side when parked in a tight space. This might come in handy, especially in cities or cramped parking lots.

In time, Firefly will be available in Select and Comfort versions. In the Netherlands, the compact electric car will debut this summer as a ‘First Edition’ with pretty much what you would rather expect from a premium vehicle in terms of equipment. That includes 24 ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems)

For example, navigation, a reversing camera, six-spoke 18-inch wheels, LED lighting front and rear, heated seats with fabric/PU upholstery, a heated steering wheel, a 7.1 Dolby Atmos sound system with 14 speakers, Waterfall Ambient Lighting mood lighting, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto all come as standard.

The most luxurious Comfort version will eventually offer extras such as a one-square-meter panoramic sunroof, an electric tailgate, an illuminated Firefly logo, microfiber upholstery for the seats, electrically operated front seats with ventilation and massage function, ten-spoke 18-inch rims, and a Firefly scent system.