• Nio has signed a dealer in Armenia, differing from its practice of appointing distributors in multiple other overseas markets.
• N-Motors is authorized to sell Nio and Onvo brand products in Armenia for a specified period.

Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) has signed a dealer in Armenia, differing from its practice of appointing distributors in multiple other overseas markets, to explore a new market in a flexible way.

Armenia's N-Motors announced yesterday on LinkedIn that it will bring Nio vehicles to the landlocked country in Western Asia.

"As an official dealer of Nio, we're ready to redefine the standards of premium mobility and shape the future of the local automotive market," N-Motors said.

Automotive website EV First reported the development. Nio confirmed the matter to CnEVPost today and provided further details.

The dealer is authorized to sell Nio and Onvo brand products in Armenia for a specified period, handling after-sales service independently, a Nio spokesperson told CnEVPost.

For such partnerships, Nio typically requires dealers to meet quarterly order volume targets, aligning with comments by co-founder and president Qin Lihong about flexible operations in overseas markets, the spokesperson said.

The distinction from distributors lies in shorter contract terms and the absence of brand authorization, preventing them from opening Nio Houses, CnEVPost learned.

Over the past year, Nio has shifted its overseas expansion strategy, increasingly relying on distributors rather than direct operations to achieve a more asset-light approach abroad.

The company's fundamental practice is to appoint only one distributor per market, typically a large automotive dealership group.

Nio has previously announced distributor partnerships in Azerbaijan, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Portugal, Singapore, Uzbekistan, and Costa Rica.