Nio partners with Thonburi to bring Onvo and Firefly brands to Thailand

Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO, HKG: 9866) has partnered with Thailand's Thonburi Group to introduce the Onvo and Firefly sub-brands to the Southeast Asian country, according to a report by Yiche today.

The report noted that Thonburi owns Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant Co Ltd, one of the region's prominent Mercedes-Benz assembly facilities.

The report did not mention further details about the partnership. Firefly announced on November 21 that Nio Inc would collaborate with Thonburi -- a renowned automotive and mobility solutions provider established in 1941 -- to leverage its industrial capabilities and comprehensive commercial ecosystem for the launch of Firefly cars.

Days earlier, Firefly president Daniel Jin told Reuters the brand would enter the UK and Thailand in 2026, intensifying its exploration of right-hand-drive markets free from punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs.

"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.

Nio officially 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 markets.

Nio announced on November 18 that right-hand-drive Firefly models had entered mass production, with the first batch destined for the Singapore market.

Both Thailand and Singapore are right-hand-drive markets, while the Chinese mainland is a left-hand-drive market.