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firefly is NIO's premium small car brand for the intelligent electric market. It was first unveiled at NIO Day in December 2024, and the first production model, also called firefly, launched in April 2025. As a key part of NIO's "Wei Le Ying" multi‑brand lineup, firefly targets the 100,000 to 200,000 RMB entry segment. It aims to deliver high‑quality, all‑electric small cars to young first‑time buyers and families looking for a second car—cars that stand out with original design, nimble handling, strong safety, and smart technology. The brand president is Jin Ge.
Under the brand philosophy "freedom to glow," firefly stays committed to original design. Every model comes standard with nine airbags, the Horizon Journey intelligent driving system, the NIO SkyOS·Tianshu vehicle operating system, and other advanced tech features. firefly also shares NIO's sales network and fifth‑generation battery swap stations, making it NIO's strategic pioneer brand for global expansion.
The evolution of the firefly brand has gone through several stages: brand launch, a rocky start, and then a sales turnaround driven by the BaaS battery rental program.
Brand Launch and First Model Debut (2024–2025)
In December 2024, NIO officially unveiled the firefly brand at NIO Day, along with its first model, also named firefly. The pre‑sale price was set at 148,800 RMB. The car's distinctive "Trio" split headlight design, however, clashed with mainstream tastes and was quickly dubbed the "six‑eyed flying fish" by netizens, leading to low market expectations. On April 19, 2025, the firefly officially went on sale in two trims—Freedom and Glow—with purchase prices ranging from 119,800 to 125,800 RMB, significantly lowering the entry barrier. Deliveries began on April 29. Just nine days later, the first domestic delivery was completed, showing a fast start. In June 2025, NIO rolled out the BaaS battery rental plan for firefly, cutting the upfront purchase price to as low as 79,800 RMB. After factoring in local subsidies, the car could be had for under 70,000 RMB in some areas. With a "pay four, get one free" rent discount for first owners, monthly rental fees dropped to as low as 319 RMB. From that point on, firefly entered the mainstream price range.
Accelerated Deliveries and Positive Market Feedback (2025–Early 2026)
After BaaS launched, firefly sales took off. In June 2025, its second full month of deliveries, firefly moved 3,932 units—nearly matching the combined monthly sales of MINI and smart electric models. Delivery momentum kept building: the 20,000th unit was delivered on September 27, 2025, and the 30,000th unit milestone was reached domestically on November 22. December 2025 saw monthly sales exceed 7,000 units, marking five consecutive months of growth. In January 2026, firefly hit the 40,000‑unit delivery mark, outpacing NIO CEO Li Bin's initial forecast of 3,000 units per month. In Q4 2025 alone, the brand delivered 19,084 units, up 52.8% quarter‑over‑quarter. For the full year 2025, firefly delivered 39,414 units.
Annual Refresh and Further Expansion (2026–Present)
On April 7, 2026, firefly completed its first annual refresh, again offering Freedom and Glow trims. Purchase prices held steady at 119,800 to 125,800 RMB, while BaaS rental prices were set at 79,800 and 85,800 RMB respectively. The refresh added a "Maillard" paint color, new Star Track two‑tone alloy wheels, a small blue light for intelligent driving assistance, and a reverse auto‑tilt function. The drive motor's peak power was increased from 105 kW to 120 kW, improving 0‑100 km/h acceleration to 7.9 seconds. The power upgrade was pushed to all existing owners free of charge via OTA in mid‑May. At the Beijing Auto Show in late April, firefly appeared in its refreshed form alongside three design concept works, sharing the exhibition hall with NIO and ONVO for the first time—marking NIO's full three‑brand matrix on stage together. On March 30, 2026, firefly reached the 50,000‑unit delivery milestone, taking just 11 months from the first batch of deliveries to the 50,000th unit rolling off the line.
firefly currently follows a "premium small car, single model with multiple variants" strategy, offering different configurations of its first and only model while keeping the product lineup clear and simple. The firefly measures 4,003 mm in length, 1,781 mm in width, and 1,557 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,615 mm. Its design is inspired by biomimicry, featuring a distinctive "Trio" three‑ring LED light cluster and a floating two‑tone exterior finish.
2025 Models: Freedom and Glow: These two trims offer different design expressions. The purchase prices are 119,800 RMB and 125,800 RMB respectively, while BaaS battery rental prices are 79,800 RMB and 85,800 RMB. The Freedom version serves as the entry‑level premium option, while the Glow version adds more upscale interior details, including suede seats and richer in‑car features. All models come standard with a 92‑liter front trunk—the largest in its class—and with the rear seats folded, cargo space expands to over 1,250 liters. A magnetic anchor point system makes it easy to attach various lifestyle accessories, covering everything from city commuting to family travel.
2026 Refreshed Model: Launched on April 7, 2026, with unchanged purchase prices. The exterior gains a new "Maillard" exclusive color (inspired by the orange brick tones of Porto's old town), along with new Star Track two‑tone alloy wheels. Matte black and speckled gray two‑tone lower body kits are available as options. Driving hardware now includes a small blue light for intelligent driving assistance, with TPMS direct tire pressure monitoring and reverse auto‑tilt with position memory as standard across all trims. Peak power has been upgraded to 120 kW, cutting 0‑100 km/h acceleration to 7.9 seconds. Battery capacity stays at 42.1 kWh, with a CLTC range of 420 km.
Pegasus Rhapsody Special Edition: Released on January 15, 2026, this limited edition was co‑created with Dutch contemporary artist Jordy van den Nieuwendijk. It is a non‑production limited version priced at 135,800 RMB for full purchase and 95,800 RMB under the BaaS rental plan, with only 99 units available worldwide.
User Co‑Creation and Modification Culture have become a big part of the brand's identity. Owners have taken to DIY customizing the front grille and rally lights, creating a unique subculture around the car and fueling positive word‑of‑mouth.
After its launch, firefly sales started slow but took off once the BaaS battery rental plan came into play. When it first hit the market in Q2 2025, the firefly was priced between 119,800 and 125,800 RMB. It had to compete with traditional premium small cars like MINI and smart, while also losing some potential buyers to budget‑friendly options such as the BYD Seagull and Geely Xingyuan. For a while, it was squeezed from both sides.
Then BaaS changed the game. In June 2025—only the second full month of deliveries—firefly sold 3,932 units, beating the combined total of MINI and smart electric vehicles for that month. For the full year 2025, firefly delivered 39,414 units, with Q4 alone accounting for 19,084 units—up 52.8% from the previous quarter. In December 2025, monthly sales hit 7,084 units, up 16.4% from November, marking five straight months of growth and setting a new brand record.
The momentum carried into 2026. January saw 2,807 deliveries, February around 2,200, and Q1 2026 totaled roughly 9,000 units. As of March 30, 2026, firefly had reached 50,000 deliveries in just 11 months.
On the sales front, all NIO stores carry firefly, so buyers get the same brand prestige and service support that come with the NIO ecosystem. Sales staff say nationwide monthly deliveries average around 6,000 units, with individual stores moving 30 to 40 cars per week.
firefly taps into NIO's ten years of system‑wide innovation and full‑stack technology to build its own core tech system—covering safety, intelligent driving, smart cockpit, the three‑electric setup, and battery swapping.
Safety and body structure are among firefly's biggest strengths. Every model comes with nine airbags—more than any other car in its class—breaking the old idea that small cars skimp on safety. The body is made of 83.4% high‑strength steel and aluminum alloy, paired with extra‑wide front crash beams, reinforced side beams, and rollover protection. It meets both Chinese and European five‑star safety standards, which also helps pave the way for entering multiple global markets.
Intelligent driving and the Horizon Journey plan: firefly is the first model developed jointly by Horizon and NIO. All versions come standard with Horizon's Journey computing platform, which delivers 128 TOPS of processing power and taps into 24 high‑performance sensors. The NOP intelligent navigation assist works on 99% of highways and urban expressways. The assisted driving system borrows NIO's advanced perception and visual display algorithms, and includes narrow lane assist, turning camera views, and all‑scenario auto parking—addressing the headaches of tight parking spots. The 2026 model adds a small blue light on the exterior to show when the driving assist system is active.
Smart cockpit and aster OS: Every firefly comes with aster OS, built on NIO's SkyOS Tianshu vehicle operating system. The interface is clean and modern. The central computing platform handles six control domains—powertrain, intelligent driving, smart cockpit, and more—with communication lag under one millisecond, and the screen responds to touch in just 100 milliseconds. Key hardware includes a 6‑inch digital instrument cluster and a 13.2‑inch 2.5K HD central display, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip. The voice assistant, Lumo, uses NOMI GPT's underlying AI to handle multi‑turn conversations and long, complex commands. The ambient lighting pulses to the music, and together with the 14‑speaker 7.1‑channel Dolby Atmos system, it creates a genuinely immersive audio experience.
Powertrain and efficiency: The 2026 firefly comes with a 120 kW rear permanent magnet motor that puts out 200 N·m of torque. It goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and tops out at 150 km/h. The 42.1 kWh LFP battery, supplied by Sunwoda, gives it a CLTC combined range of 420 km. With a drag coefficient of just 0.287 Cd and energy consumption as low as 10.9 kWh per 100 km, it balances efficiency with real‑world range. The firefly doesn't have 800V architecture—but given its focus on city driving, fast‑charging demand is lower. It supports fast charging, slow charging, and eventually battery swapping.
Battery swapping and the energy ecosystem: firefly will have access to NIO's fifth‑gen swap stations, with the network expected to go live in early 2026. That means it can charge slowly, charge quickly, or swap batteries—all within NIO's "chargeable, swappable, upgradable" system. In 2026, NIO plans to build at least 1,000 fifth‑gen stations, cutting swap time to just two minutes and boosting daily capacity per station to 300 swaps, covering all three NIO brands. For premium small cars, battery swapping solves the twin anxieties of range and recharging time—shifting the competition from just product specs to the whole ecosystem.
firefly is NIO's strategic pioneer for global expansion. It was built from the ground up with international markets in mind, meeting tough certification standards like EU WVTA and European GSR. So far, it has entered key markets in Europe and Asia‑Pacific.
Europe is firefly's first stop overseas. After launching in China in April 2025, the brand made its first customer deliveries in Europe just four months later—on August 14, 2025, in Norway and the Netherlands—setting a record for the fastest overseas rollout of any NIO brand. As of early 2026, firefly has started deliveries or opened test drives in the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Greece, Portugal, Luxembourg, and several other European countries. NIO uses a two‑track sales approach in Europe: national distributors alongside direct‑operated NIO Houses and experience stores.
Right‑hand drive and Asia‑Pacific are central to firefly's global push. In November 2025, the RHD version of firefly rolled off the line, with the first batch heading to Singapore—making it NIO's first‑ever RHD production model. NIO has made clear that firefly will lead its charge into RHD markets, with plans to enter Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Thailand, Singapore, and beyond. NIO aims to be in 40 countries and regions by the end of 2026, with firefly acting as the brand's global pathfinder.
Sales model and design: Overseas, firefly uses a flexible "one country, one policy, one price" strategy, mixing NIO House direct operations with national distributors to fit local market conditions. The brand also leverages NIO's existing overseas design resources. The firefly's exterior was led by NIO's global design team in Munich, blending modern European design with Chinese smart manufacturing to create a look that stands out from mainstream small cars at home.
firefly has moved past the trial phase and is now scaling up. The brand's focus for 2026 is simple: sell good cars, deliver good service, and build out infrastructure. In NIO's bigger picture, firefly is expected to drive growth in lower‑tier markets—third‑ and fourth‑tier cities and beyond. The target is to raise those markets' share of NIO Group's total sales to 30%, fully unlocking the potential of a premium small car in the entry segment.
On the product front, firefly will keep its lineup lean—one model with clear trim levels—to maintain simplicity and supply chain efficiency. As the battery swap network expands and over 1,000 fifth‑generation stations come online, firefly's "chargeable, swappable, upgradable" ecosystem will give buyers a real technical edge. NIO co‑founder Qin Lihong has said all three NIO brands will get a full refresh and evolution in 2026. On the tech side, features like the Tian Yuan OS smart cockpit and intelligent navigation assist will keep improving through OTA updates, helping firefly stay competitive and appealing.
Global expansion is still a core part of firefly's strategy. In 2026, the brand will keep pushing overseas using a national distributor model, rolling out localized deliveries and regular operations in new European countries, right‑hand drive markets, and Southeast Asia. NIO's goal is to be in 40 countries and regions by the end of 2026, with firefly joining NIO and ONVO to bring Chinese smart electric premium small cars to the world. firefly aims to redefine the entry‑level premium small car segment through smart technology, serious safety standards, and NIO's full‑service ecosystem—building a unique brand and lasting leadership in the premium pure electric small car space.
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