NIO (HKG:9866, SGX:NIO,NYSE:NIO) plans to expand its Firefly model this year to 16 additional countries, including the Netherlands, Norway and Costa Rica, Xinhua reported Thursday, citing its founder, William Li, who made the announcement at a Shanghai auto show.

The Chinese automobile maker expects the Firefly brand to be a key driver in its sales growth, the report said.

NIO's Hong Kong shares rose less than 2% in recent trade.

NIO Inc. soars 7.47% at 10:00 am, Apr 25th.