Firefly has officially launched in China its first EV model

Nio’s third brand has launched in China its first electric hatchback which shares the company’s name with a price range between 119,800 – 125,800 yuan ($16,770 – 17,600). Deliveries will begin on April 29. The Firefly will also enter Europe 

Firefly is the third brand under Nio. Its first vehicle, the Firefly EV hatchback, was launched in China on April 19. Firefly's first model, which shares the brand's name, started presales on Nio Day 2024 last December. The initial presales price of this model was 148,800 yuan ($20,830). On April 19, Firefly’s price was sliced by 19.5% as it officially started sales in China with a price range between 119,800 – 125,800 yuan ($16,770 – 17,600). Nio will kick off deliveries of its first urban hatchback on April 29. 

Firefly, like other Nio’s models, supports battery swap, which means it can be purchased with a BaaS (battery as a service) battery rental option that allows for a lower barrier to purchase. Firefly didn't announce the BaaS program at launch event, and the brand's president, Daniel Jin, said it will be available starting August 1. Under the BaaS program, consumers will be able to buy just the vehicle body and rent a battery pack, which is expected to lower the barrier to purchase by tens of thousands of yuan. 

The Firefly model will challenge the BMW Mini as well as Mercedes-Benz's Smart. As a five-seat compact BEV, Firefly has length, width and heights of 4,003 mm, 1,781 mm and 1,557 mm, respectively, and a wheelbase of 2,615 mm. The price is lower than the official discounted starting price of 149,800 yuan for the all-electric Mini Cooper in China, and lower than the discounted starting price of 149,900 yuan for the Smart #1 currently in China. 

Firefly is a model aimed at the global market and has already been tested in several overseas markets. When the Firefly project was set up, Nio's team visited more than 40 cities in 17 countries, including China, and spent more than two months in Europe, Tina Wang, Firefly's head of product experience, said last month. Nio originally planned to launch Firefly in Europe first, but higher tariffs forced it to change its strategy. Firefly would launch in Europe in the first half of 2025, William Li, Nio's founder, chairman, and CEO, said. "In the long run, we would like Firefly to reach about 10 percent of Nio's total sales, as Mini accounts for about 10 percent of BMW's sales," William Li said. 

Aside from being compact, the Firefly boasts decent practicality for its class. It has a 95-liter front trunk, which Jin said is the largest in its class. The car’s interior offers 27 storage spaces. The rear trunk has a 335-liter volume. With rear seats folded, the trunk space reaches an impressive 1,253 liters. Moreover, there is an additional 29-liter storage space under the right rear seat. The Firefly’s center console boasts a 13.2-inch floating center screen. The 6-inch LCD instrument panel sits on the steering column. Other features of the Nio’s hatchback include 14 speakers with the 7.1 Dolby sound, a fragrance system, and 256-color ambient lighting. The Firefly EV goes standard with a 105 kW (141 hp). This e-motor helps the Nio’s hatchback to speed up to 100 km/h in 8.2 seconds. The car’s top speed reaches 150 km/h. The Firefly has a 42.1 kWh battery pack with an official range of 420 km under CLTC conditions.