NIO Firefly: Redefining urban EV retail for a new generation
Objective: Create a disruptive retail concept for Firefly — NIO’s new compact urban EV brand — that breaks with tradition and speaks directly to a new generation of design-led, city drivers.
When NIO launched Firefly, its first compact EV brand, the ambition went far beyond cars. Firefly set out to redefine what urban mobility means for a new generation: intelligent, connected, and effortlessly stylish. Our challenge was to translate this vision into a physical retail experience that could launch the brand with impact — and scale globally with consistency.
In collaboration with their brand team, we set out to design a new blueprint for automotive retail. More than a showroom, Firefly's retail spaces function as immersive lifestyle destinations, designed around the brand’s DNA of being vivid, thoughtful, and solid. Every element, from façade to furniture, was created to amplify Firefly’s brand identity while removing the barriers of traditional car buying.
Visually, the spaces are dynamic, electrifying and lifestyle-driven. Materials and lighting bring tactility and warmth, while large-scale imagery connects Firefly to culture and community. Built on a modular system, the design adapts across multiple formats — from standalone boutiques and shop-in-shops to roadshow pop-ups and multi-brand dealerships — enabling Firefly to scale with consistency and precision.
With the standardisation of connected lifestyles and the brand's app key to their product proposition, our new EV retail concept integrates seamless digital and physical touchpoints — allowing the customer journey to move fluidly from web to store and back again. At the heart of each space, the car is always unapologetically the hero — presented in clean, uncluttered environment that enhances the viewing experience. Surrounding this core, the design balances comfort and efficiency with intuitive layouts and semi-private consultation lounges, as well as an interactive CMF and accessories showcase bar that gives customers clarity, confidence, and customisation.
This is not automotive retail as standard. This is a new EV retail concept that captures the creative spirit of a new generation and brings to life Firefly’s bold promise to the city streets.
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