Last December, Chinese EV startup giant, Nio, revealed its third brand, called the Firefly – to rival Mini, Smart, Renault and other electric hatchbacks – at the company’s annual Nio Day in Guangzhou, China.
This brand was going to accelerate the company’s expansion into the European and international markets. Now, the brand’s first electric hatchback, in lavender colour, has been spotted with Victorian number plates, right here in Australia.
This was shared by AfonosoEV from eletric-vehicles.com on X, as the car was spotted driving around the suburbs of south-east Melbourne.
The right-hand-drive car with the tri-daytime running lights was relatively easy to spot, and given its unique looks, the covering of the badge didn’t make it hard to spot.
This car’s sighting is relatively recent, with data from carloop revealing that it first appeared on the road in the last week of May 2025.
It’s also likely to be currently testing over the coming months for local ride and handling, as well as advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) calibration.
The new hatchback with swappable battery technology will be the first vehicle of its kind to enter the Australian market.
It not only competes with existing premium electric hatchbacks, such as those from Mini, Smart, and potentially even the Volvo EX30, but it could also be the first of several Australian-bound upcoming vehicles from Nio and its subbrands in the coming years.
In China, the Firefly will start at the equivalent of $A25,700 and goes up to $A30,000. The Australian pricing is likely to be closer to $A40,000 when it lands.
For that, you get a fairly well-equipped electric hatchback, loaded with tech and space, including a surprisingly large frunk, which hasn’t been too common in electric hatchbacks. That’s of course thanks to its rear-wheel-drive powertrain.
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.
On the battery front, there is a 42.1 kWh Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LFP) battery pack, offering a CLTC range of 420 km. That’s expected to be a lot closer to 340 km on the WLTP cycle, plenty for driving around the city and occasional road trips around the country.
I also got a preview and a test-drive of the model in China in April, during which the Nio Firefly not only looked the part in person but was quite zippy and fun to drive on a short driving test track in the outskirts of Shanghai. With the swappable battery tech and user-friendly UI on the inside, it will appeal to drivers who might not have previously considered an EV.
This gave an early impression of what’s to come as Nio takes its EVs to global markets at more affordable prices than the existing, more luxury models it sells in China.
More sightings of the Firefly model are expected in the coming weeks and months, ahead of details about the potential local launch within the next 12 months.
On the back of the latest sighting, one thing is for sure: the Nio Firefly might be the first EV with battery-swappable tech in the country, but it certainly won’t be the last.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.