Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Nio officially introduced its third brand, Firefly, on December 21 during its annual “Nio Day” event. While its second brand, Onvo, targets families and will be selling three SUV models in the Chinese market later this year, the third brand is aimed at the compact vehicle segment.
During the company’s annual event, Nio founder and CEO William Li unveiled Firefly’s EV model, showcasing three vehicles in gray, fluorescent green, and light purple.
Pre-orders opened immediately with a pre-sale price of 148,800 yuan ($20,400). The final price is still unknown, and the first deliveries are planned to start in China in late April. The European launch is planned for “the first half of next year,” according to Nio’s chief executive.
On Thursday, several Chinese automotive bloggers shared on Weibo the same two pictures showing, for the first time, a white exterior colour.
In the first image, a second Firefly EV can be seen in the background, also displaying an official license plate from the brand. In a recent interview, and commenting on the fluorescent colors chosen for the brand’s identity, Nio’s senior vice president of Design ,Kris Tomasson, said they were “chosen for their distinctiveness,” adding that “few brands use them, but they fit Firefly perfectly.”
The second image shows a clearer picture of a white Firefly also with an official license plate.
In a media Q&A session held twelve hours after the ‘Nio Day’, Li told reporters that Nio has already agreements with multiple European partners for the brand’s entry.
While Nio previously indicated it expects Firefly to achieve monthly sales in the thousands. Deutsche Bank predicts Firefly to sell 1,500 units per month, citing the model’s “unique exterior design” as a factor that could limit its demand.
The EV maker has designed new battery swap stations for Firefly vehicles with Europe in mind aiming to make the construction faster and significantly cheaper. The new stations were not yet revealed.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
