Nio launches low cost Firefly hatchback with swappable battery

Last December, Chinese EV giant, Nio unveiled its third brand, called the Firefly, designed to rival Mini, Smart, Renault and other electric hatchbacks on the market, at the company’s annual Nio Day in Guangzhou.

The Firefly has now been officially launched over the weekend, and will start at $A25,700 for the standard version, while in China, it could be even cheaper thanks to the battery swap technology this car comes with. 

The top-spec variant comes in at $A27,000, bringing it under the original pre-sale price of over $A30,000 announced at the car’s initial unveiling in December.

For that, you get a well-equipped electric hatchback, loaded with tech and space, including a surprisingly large frunk, thanks to its rear-wheel-drive powertrain. 

When it comes to its battery, it is a 42.1 kWh Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LFP) battery pack, offering a CLTC range of 420 km, which is expected to be a lot closer to 340 km on the WLTP cycle, plenty for driving around the city and occasional road trips. 

Charging the Firefly can either be via DC fast charging or using Nio’s battery swap stations in China that happen to be compatible with this size of vehicle.

On the DC charging speeds, up to 100 kW of power can be delivered to the battery which is very respectable given the size of the pack.

Powering the wheels is a single rear-wheel-drive motor designed in-house by Nio that would deliver 105 kW, helping the hatchback reach a top speed of 150 km/h.

Given its size of just 4 metres in length and a smaller frontal area, it’s expected to have an energy consumption figure of around 10 kWh per 100 km when driving around town, making it one of the most efficient electric cars on the market.

The Firefly also has one of the smallest turning circles in it’s class, coming in with a turning radius of just 4.7 meters. This would help drive it around the tighter city streets and narrow lanes or even tighter carparks in shopping centres. 

From the outside, the Firefly has a unique frontal design, making it quite quirky and fun, which should make it stand out from other small electric hatchbacks.

The headlights are in 3 small circles which will be easy to spot on the road. This is continued in the rear as well.

Connecting the two set of lights at the front and rear is a grey, carbon-fibre-like section. It also contains the Firefly logo in the centre.

Moving onto the inside, there is quite a lot of space given the size of the car. This includes space in the front with a flat floor so the driver can walk or slide through to exit through the passenger door if needed.

The interior, yet kept minimalistic, offers a lot of tech with the star being the infotainment screen which is powered by a fairly powerful processor, helping bring Firefly’s user-interface to the end customer in a seamless way. 

Other cars in this segment are a bit more clunky in this department but Nio’s implementation appears show the work that’s gone into making it as easy for the driver and passengers to interact with.

There is also a screen behind the small steering wheel to display all the key information without looking at the main infotainment screen.

From a storage point of view, there are plenty of clever spaces, including underneath the front and rear passenger seats.

In the rear, there is up to 1,200 litres of boot space with the seats down, and there is also a usable 92-litre frunk.

Nio is at the forefront of many EV technologies, including its battery swapping network in China, which, as of December 2024, had successfully completed 60 million battery swaps in its home market, only four months after passing the 50 million mark.

This technology has helped reduce cost of purchasing a tech-driven EV thanks to the “Battery as a Service” model. We expect Firefly to also have this available and could be beneficial for those having access to swap stations.

For many international markets, the Firefly is expected to bring a new hatchback that’s ahead of most other models currently for sale in this segment. 

With European markets such as Norway, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands, where Nio currently operates, it’d offer more choice to locals who might be familiar with the brand and bring new buyers.

We look forward to seeing if there are plans for right-hand-drive versions of the Firefly in the works, which could be destined for the UK, South East Asia and maybe even Australia and New Zealand in the coming years.

Nio Firefly review on YouTube by Inside China Auto