Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Electric vehicle maker Nio unveiled its third brand, Firefly, in December, targeting the European market. However, the extra tariffs on imported EVs from China imposed by the European Commission last October forced the company to adjust its launch plans.
The compact EV, sharing its name with the brand, remains largely under wraps, with specifications, interior details, range, and final pricing yet to be disclosed. Deliveries in China are scheduled to begin in late April.
Nio’s new EV, the smallest ever, was multiple times described as a “boutique compact car” with a near 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution, a four-meter-long body, and rear-wheel drive.
Its body structure incorporates 83.4% high-strength steel and aluminum alloy, with ultra-wide double front crash beams, reinforced front door crash beams, and nine airbags — claimed by Nio to be the most in its class.
On Thursday, the company released a winter testing video on Chinese social media, revealing some configurations of the Firefly model.
In the video, the instrument panel showed the car indicating a remaining range of 225 kilometers with 75% of battery capacity, suggesting a full charge could offer a range of approximately 300 kilometers (186 miles).
The Firefly features a rear five-link independent suspension system co-developed with Canada-based Multimatic, a chassis supplier for Porsche’s 963 and Ford’s Mustang GT4.
It is also equipped with Bosch’s IPB OneBox intelligent brake-by-wire system, which replaces the conventional brake pedal with a pedal pad transmitting braking commands via electrical signals. Bosch says the system enables shorter pedal travel, innovative pedal concepts, and crash-optimized mounting while freeing up interior design space.
Here’s the winter test video shared by Firefly.
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.
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
