Chinese EV Maker Expands to Armenia

Chinese EV maker Nio is expanding to Armenia, an internal source confirmed to EV after rumors circulated on social media on Monday.

The move follows comments by Nio’s co-founder and president, Lihong Qin, who told reporters — including EV — in late September in Hangzhou that the company had signed or was close to signing distribution agreements with 20 partners worldwide.

Although Nio has yet to officially announce its entry into the Armenian market, EV confirmed that operations have already begun in the country.

As in other new markets, the Shanghai-headquartered automaker is partnering with a local dealership to enable a leaner business structure and a faster rollout.

“N-Motors is the exclusive dealer of Nio in Armenia, proudly representing Nio and its sub-brands Onvo and Firefly,” the company says on its LinkedIn profile.

Zakharyan’s own page indicates he co-founded the business, suggesting he established a new import and distribution entity to represent Nio Group vehicles locally.

“As pioneers in premium electric mobility, we bring to Armenia the latest in EV innovation, design, and technology, making sustainable driving accessible for every lifestyle,” N-Motors adds in its statement.

Official LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram accounts for Nio Armenia were created in early August, but an official website is not yet available.

The photos and videos shared so far feature models and imagery from Nio’s main premium brand and its mid-range sub-brand Onvo, indicating that these two marques will be offered in the Armenian market in the initial phase.

In the first eight months of this year, fully electric vehicles accounted for 27% of all new registrations.

Import data from the State Revenue Committee shows that EVs represented more than a third of all imported vehicles, with 13,346 units recorded between January and early September.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Arsen Zakharyan is leading the expansion as Business Developer for Nio Armenia, with operations having started in August.

Zakharyan previously served as General Manager for rival brand Zeekr’s Armenian branch in 2024 and co-founded Jauto LLC, the official representative of Farizon Auto in Armenia.

Before that, he was responsible for bringing the Geely brand to Armenia in 2023.

After entering its first five markets outside China with a direct-sales model, Nio announced earlier this year that it would adopt a traditional dealership model for new markets — a shift aimed at enabling faster expansion and significantly lower costs.

The Armenian entry marks the latest step in Nio’s global expansion.

In August, the company said it plans to enter Singapore, Uzbekistan, and Costa Rica in 2025 and 2026 — with Costa Rica recently becoming the first country in the Americas to host Nio operations.

In the Costa Rican market, Nio plans to launch the Nio EL8 (ES8 in China), EL6, ET5 Touring, the Onvo L60, and the Firefly model.

In June, Nio announced plans to begin distribution in Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Denmark between 2025 and 2026.

Although Nio entered Denmark in late 2022 with a direct-to-consumer model, it is now shifting to local dealership partnerships to cut costs and align with its broader retail strategy.

Earlier in June, the EV maker said it would also enter Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, and Romania within the same timeframe.

After beginning deliveries in two European markets in August, Nio’s mass-market Firefly brand is preparing to launch in Belgium, Portugal, and additional markets in the coming weeks and months.

Lihong said in April that Firefly would be active in about 20 overseas markets by the end of this year.

Earlier this Tuesday, EV reported that a former member of Nio’s US team said the company will not sell vehicles directly in the United States, but its technology will appear there through a licensing arrangement with McLaren Automotive.

As exclusively reported by EV last June, Nio halted its U.S. expansion plans, laying off its Go-To-Market (GTM) team and Chief Business Officer Saurabh Bhatnagar, marking the suspension of its North American launch strategy.