A Nio vehicle’s central touchscreen displays a navigation map in an image released by HERE Technologies, which is expanding its partnership with the automaker across its European lineup. Credit: HERE Technologies.
- The companies will explore technologies supporting NOA and Nio World Model, laying the groundwork for future assisted driving capabilities in Europe.
- The partnership expanded from Firefly to Nio’s entire European lineup, bringing continuously updated map data.
Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) expanded its European partnership with mapping and location technology company HERE Technologies, extending continuously updated map services across its entire lineup in the region and supporting future assisted driving capabilities.
The collaboration will extend beyond sub-brand Firefly to Nio’s European lineup, including the ET5, ET7, EL6, EL7 and EL8, HERE said in a statement on Wednesday.
The EL6, EL7 and EL8 are known in China as the ES6, ES7 and ES8, respectively. They were renamed for overseas markets following a trademark dispute with Audi.
The expanded partnership comes as Nio adjusts its European operating model. The company reaffirmed its long-term commitment to the region this month, saying it would take a more measured approach to business development.
Nio will adopt HERE’s streaming map technology to continuously receive updates on road networks, traffic regulations and points of interest, improving the accuracy and freshness of navigation information in Europe, according to the statement.
Continuously updated maps can also provide information on lane configurations and changes in road conditions, supplying data to help vehicles understand their surroundings and support assisted driving features.
Deepening the partnership will provide drivers with more up-to-date maps while laying the foundation for future innovations in intelligent navigation and assisted driving across Europe, said Chris Chen, Nio’s vice president of global business development.
The companies will also explore how location data and continuously updated maps can advance the development and deployment of AI-driven driving technologies tailored to European roads.
Those efforts include future innovations supporting Nio World Model and Navigation on Autopilot (NOA). HERE described Nio World Model as Nio’s end-to-end AI driving architecture.
The statement did not provide a specific timeline for introducing the assisted driving features in Europe or plans for deploying Nio World Model in the region.
The expansion builds on HERE’s earlier partnership with Firefly. In July 2025, the companies announced that HERE would provide mapping data and location services for overseas markets to support connected navigation and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
That agreement also included using HERE’s speed-limit data to support the European Union’s intelligent speed assistance (ISA) requirements, as well as navigation services such as real-time traffic information through HERE’s partnership with Telenav Inc.
The software experience in Europe has been a focus of Nio’s discussions with local users. In May, executives held a face-to-face meeting with users in the Netherlands to address concerns about slow software updates and after-sales service.
Nio founder, chairman and CEO William Li visited Europe again this month. In a September 15 briefing, the company said it would combine direct operations in selected markets with local distributor partnerships while continuing to improve the ownership experience for existing users.
Nio is preparing a major restructuring of its European operations, with its remaining direct-sales markets likely transitioning to a more asset-light model, CnEVPost has learned.
