Chinese electric car maker Nio has launched its budget brand Firefly, which is set to take on electric cars at a discounted price like a new Renault 5, Hyundai Inster, Citroen e-C3 and BYD Dolphin.
Although Nio has confirmed that the Firefly will be coming to Europe – to be sold alongside Nio models already on sale on the continent – there are currently no plans to sell any Nio models in the UK.
The first Firefly model, which takes the brand name rather than having a separate model name, was designed in Nio’s design studio in Munich and went on sale in China priced at £16,140.
The compact, curvaceous five-door Firefly looks proportionally similar to the short-lived Honda, and gets a similarly cute look with triple circular headlights and taillights, a glass roof and extra storage space in the trunk under the hood.
The name Firefly comes from fireflies, which is not surprising. According to Nio, Firefly is “small, nimble and full of energy, symbolizing freedom of movement and diversity. The brand logo represents a flying and glowing firefly that illustrates the spirit of the brand: the freedom to shine. The DNA of the Firefly brand is vivid to create positive emotions and lasting impressions, thought out with logic and purpose, and solid to convey trust and confidence.”
No further technical information has been released about the Firefly, other than that it has been engineered to Euro NCAP’s five-star crash test standards. It is unlikely to get the expensive battery replacement technology of the more expensive Nio and Onvo models.
Firefly was launched at this year’s Nio Day held in Guangzhou, China, with the theme “Together and Beyond”. Along with the new Firefly model, Nio also presented its flagship ET9 model.
With an innovative battery swap system and advanced chassis and electrical technology, the ET9 has a two-square-meter lightweight carpet that greets owners when they step into the car. The executive seating system has almost two square meters of heating of the entire surface and a 16-point hot stone massage function.
Nio is co-owned by CYVN, the investment arm of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, which also owns British luxury EV startup ForSeven – headed by former JLR CEO Nick Collins – and recently bought British supercar maker McLaren Automotive. Nio also has an engineering base in the UK.
However, despite reports linking Nio’s Onvo brand to the UK – thanks in part to the lack of high import duties on Chinese vehicles in the UK compared to Europe – these reports have been dismissed and there are currently no plans to bring the Nio, Onvo or Firefly models to the UK.