- Chinese automaker NIO revealed the first car from its new sub-brand, Firefly, this week at the Shanghai Auto Show, which will join an increasingly busy market of cheap EVs.
- Taking the form of a fully-electric small hatchback, the new model has ‘high-end’ features, and is coming to Europe this year.
- With pricing yet to be revealed, will the NIO Firefly be capable of taking on established cheap EVs in Europe like the Renault 5 E-Tech, or Volkswagen’s upcoming ID. EVERY1?
NIO delves into cheap EVs with new Firefly brand
Deliveries of the NIO Firefly will kickstart in China from the 29th of April, before gradually entering 16 overseas markets – which will include countries in Europe. A right-hand-drive variant will also arrive later in the year, with the model thereafter coming to Europe’s biggest EV market (by volume), the United Kingdom.
On price, the Firefly will be positioned as a ‘premium’ and trendy small EV, much in the same way cheap EVs like the new Renault 5, MINI Cooper E, and Fiat 500e are marketed. However, with what we’ve seen from other Chinese OEMs, the Firefly is likely to undercut these when it comes to starting price, standing it out against the competition. The Firefly will cost upwards of RMB 119,800 (approximately €14,400) in China. In the Netherlands, however, one of the first European countries to take delivery of the Firefly, prices will start at a higher €29,900.
What else sets the Firefly apart?
Other than price, there’s one key aspect of the NIO Firefly which makes it stand out amongst some of the existing competitors already on sale in the European market in particular – namely its battery swapping abilities, which will come as standard on the NIO Firefly. It’ll differ from current models from NIO however, which use a proprietary swapping method with dedicated NIO-branded battery swapping stations. In the Firefly’s case, it’ll adopt CATL’s ‘Choco-Swap’ battery swapping standard. Just last month, CATL and NIO signalled their intentions to collaborate on battery swapping technology, and it seems that the Firefly is the first result from this partnership.
With CATL opening 10,000 such stations across China to support this standardised protocol, it’ll certainly be a selling plus point in China. However this benefit won’t be realised outside of China until the company opens compatible battery swapping stations on the same impressive scale.
Including the Firefly, NIO revealed an impressive 11 models at the event, across its three brands (NIO, ONVO, and Firefly). A worldwide landing page for the Firefly is already live, too.
William Li, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of NIO, commented:
“This is the first time the three brands—NIO, ONVO, and firefly—are collectively attending the auto show. We are very grateful for the strong support from NIO and ONVO user volunteers. In 2025, NIO is ushering in a year of technological harvest and is rapidly moving into a new product cycle, planning to launch nine models under its three brands. There will be a major new model for every quarter. On display at the NIO stand, are the achievements of NIO’s decade of technological innovation, culminating in the ET9 which represents the latest breakthroughs in global smart electric vehicles.”
