Another Chinese car brand arrives in the UK

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

It's another day and that means yet another Chinese car brand arriving in Britain that you've never heard of before. Roll up the budget-friendly Firefly EV - the new compact supermini from Chinese giant Nio that is looking to put its stamp on the UK market this year. The Firefly – confusingly the name of Nio's sub-brand and its first model - will go up against the new Renault 5 EV and forthcoming Volkswagen ID.2, Renault Twingo and BYD Dolphin Surf city EVs.
Confirmed for the European market this year, Nio is accelerating its rollout of the popular Firefly globally and it could arrive here as soon as October - making it the latest cheap Chinese EV to take to British roads. Launched in April in China , the small EV costs the equivalent of £12,500 - though that's not inclusive of import taxes and some favourable domestic subsidies. When it comes to the UK, it's expected to enter the increasingly populated sub-£25k affordable EV category.
Said to be inspired by some European cult models, like the Fiat 500, the design is aimed at attracting 'lifestyle-based' buyers who want a 'memorable' electric car, Nio says. Its range is around 260 miles (albeit based on China Light Duty Vehicle Test Cycle which is about 15 per cent more forgiving than the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure), putting it about equal to the Renault 5 (250-mile range) and considerably ahead of the £15,000 Dacia Spring (140-mile range). At 4,003mm long, 1,781mm wide and 1,557mm tall, it is larger than the Renault 5 across all five dimensions.
Via the Firefly brand, Nio's set its sights on building 'new, small electric vehicles, a car for everyone', Vice President of Nio design told journalists at the Shanghai Auto Show. 'The brief was really to create the next mini or Fiat 500; something iconic, something memorable, [and] to take advantage of electrification. 'We were to build a different, new design identity, something that was going to be more lifestyle-based than our premium brands, [Nio and Onvo],' he added. The Firefly is nothing like what we've seen from Nio previously.
The compact model contrasts the Chinese giant's typical big, luxury saloons and SUVs, instead offering buyers a fun, small, sporty and endearing little zero emissions urban runaround. The tagline is 'small, electric, buzzing with energy', the blurb says. With seating for five, it's surprising practical with a 404-litre boot (larger than most compact cars including the R5's 326 litres) and a massive 92-litre additional froot (front boot).
In terms of cabin tech, it boasts a Chat GPT-operated voice command system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and benefits from two digital screens. And it will be one of the plushest and most luxurious small cars on the market, offering heated and ventilated front seats that even have massaging functionality like a high-end Mercedes limo.
The rear-wheel drive car can accelerate from 0 to 62mph in 8.1 seconds and has a limited top speed of 93mph. The 42kW battery has a max charging speed of 100kW and can fast charge 10 to 80 per cent in 29 minutes. Handily for town, it has a turning radius of just 4.7metres, so weaving between width restrictions shouldn't be a drama.
Will the Firefly create a buzz in Europe?
Firefly - initially announced as a new brand alongside Onvo but the two were repositioned as sub-brands by Nio shortly afterwards - is important for the Chinese battery swapping leader, with the Shanghai-based car maker not yet nearing profitability despite its sales growing. In May, its first full month of deliveries, Firefly sold 3,680 vehicles according to Nio data. And so, the model has played a key role in boosting the brand's overall sales for the month by 13.1 per cent year on year.
Nio is currently in the midst of a huge European expansion, committing to entering 16 new global markets this year alone. Seven of those have already been confirmed in Europe: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland and Romania. And the Firefly has been specifically designed for the European market: it was supposed to launch in Europe first but due to tariffs and geopolitical tensions, as well as Nio's shaky sales, it arrived in China first. The UK is a big market for small EVs at the moment, with the Hyundai Inster , the Renault 5 and the Kia EV3 just a few of the latest entrants.