Nio’s Firefly small-car brand has begun mass production of its first right-hand-drive electric hatchback, with the opening batch headed to Singapore as the Chinese group steps up its search for growth outside its home market.
Firefly confirmed that right-hand-drive (RHD) production started today, calling it a key step in a global rollout that has moved quickly since the car’s launch in China on April 19.
The model reached its first European customers in less than four months, setting a new pace for Nio’s overseas expansion. Deliveries are already under way in the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium, with markets such as Denmark, Greece, Austria, Portugal and Luxembourg next in line for test drives and handovers.
The Firefly itself is a compact, rear-drive battery-electric hatchback aimed at city drivers.
It measures 4,003mm long with a 2,615mm wheelbase and is powered by a 105kW permanent magnet motor, paired with a 42kWh LFP battery good for a claimed 420km on China’s CLTC cycle. Top speed is about 150kph.
Packaging is a major selling point: there is a 92-litre front compartment and, with the rear seats folded, a flat load area of more than 1,250 litres.
Inside, the cabin uses a raised centre armrest with a pass-through floor, a drawer under the cupholders, a 50W wireless charging pad and a magnetic mounting system for add-on accessories.
Safety and structure also feature prominently. Firefly uses a body shell with more than 80% high-strength steel and aluminium, reinforced front crash beams and nine airbags.
The car has been engineered as a global product rather than a domestic special, with dimensions and interface tuned for buyers who are used to European-style compact cars.
Europe, however, has turned into a tougher battleground.
Additional tariffs on Chinese-built EVs have pushed Firefly’s European sticker price to around €29,900 (RM144,000), higher than originally planned and tighter on margins, prompting Nio to put more emphasis on markets that do not impose extra duties on Chinese imports.
Right-hand-drive territories are central to that strategy.
Singapore is first to receive the new RHD car, with Thailand and the United Kingdom expected to follow from 2026, alongside other targets such as Australia, New Zealand and wider Southeast Asia.
In Singapore, Firefly is set to be positioned as a boutique small EV, priced above mass-market rivals like BYD’s Dolphin to avoid direct price wars.
For Nio, Firefly sits alongside its Onvo brand at the lower end of the portfolio as the group tries to balance volume with profitability in a crowded Chinese EV market.
The two newer marques have helped lift monthly sales to just over 40,000 units, almost double year-on-year, even as the company works to narrow a second-quarter net loss of about US$697.2 million (RM2.9bil) and move towards break-even.
