Although it’s not yet available in France, Chinese electric car manufacturer Nio is one of the most buzzed about, thanks in particular to its replaceable battery technology that can be charged in about 3 minutes. Allows for “refueling”.
Nio is now announcing the official launch of a new brand called Firefly, designed primarily for Europe. It was even supposed to be marketed there at first, but countervailing customs duties introduced by the European Union against electric cars manufactured in China meant otherwise.
An electric city car that wants to be chic, but doesn’t have style.
The Firefly, not to be confused with the Fiat engine of the same name, is a unique model at the moment. It’s a five-door, five-seat electric city car, with undisclosed dimensions, that will compete with smart and mini-to-electric cars like our national Renault 5 E-Tech.
In this category, having original style is almost a must. However, the Firefly prototype looks somewhat similar to the late Honda E, which would have tripled the number of optics.
The rear, combining the lights with its strip, is reminiscent of the restyled Dacia Spring, which will also have tripled optics.
Unfortunately, this Firefly still keeps its internals a secret. Some technical details have been communicated. All we know is that it will have a turning diameter of only 9.4 meters, a front trunk (frank) of 92 liters, a loading volume of 1250 liters with the rear seats folded down, and above all, it will be Nio capable. The exchange will be compatible with the battery. Technology
However, the Fireflies, which are equipped with smaller batteries than the manufacturer’s other electric cars, will not be able to use the existing 2900 Nio PowerSwap stations. Firefly CEO Daniel Jin said they will have to wait for the deployment of a dedicated network, with battery exchange stations that are small, cheap and easy to install.
The model will be marketed in China from April 2025, with a pre-order price of ¥148,800 (around €19,600), which is similar to the currently discounted price of the China-made Mini Cooper Electric.
In Europe, you’ll have to wait until fall 2025 before the arrival of the Firefly brand, which will also be marketed in other regions of the world. A Mini Cooper Electric is priced from €30,650 in France. Firefly can therefore demonstrate comparable pricing and risks against its competitors, except for its battery exchange solution, but whose network is yet to be deployed.
