Look out MG4 and BYD Dolphin! Distinctive iPhone-eyed Firefly hatch is Chinese luxury brand NIO’s debut budget buy

January 6, 2025February 2, 2025 John Mahoney 5090 Views BYD, Firefly, MG4, Nio

NIO has revealed the first model in its new Firefly budget brand that will spearhead the sub-brand’s expansion into new markets including Europe.

Australia? That’s yet to be confirmed but the expanding Chinese luxury brand has long had its eyes our congested market.

Simply named Firefly, the new Chinese hatch blends simple styling with striking three-circular-element head and tail lamps, resembling an iPhone’s camera lenses.

In China, the Firefly has been aimed squarely at mid-spec MG4s, rather than dazzling buyers with a bargain basement starting price.

That suggests it could be priced from around $40,000 Down Under.

Confirming its arrival in China in April 2025 and Europe soon after, neither Firefly or NIO has revealed full details of what will become its most affordable car.

It has confirmed it was designed in Munich by ex-BMW designer Kris Tomasson, has a small 92-litre frunk and a boot that – rear seats down – can swallow 1250 litres luggage.

The new small EV also has a turning circle of 9.4 metres (MG4 needs 10.6m).

Other new features it comes with include NIO’s advanced autonomous auto-parking feature and a powerful chip from Horizon Robotics for the in-car tech.

But one piece of tech missing from the Firefly’s armoury is NIO’s novel battery-swap technology.

It has already been deployed in China and can swap from an empty to fully-charged battery in just 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Safety has also been a main priority, with the Firefly coming equipped with up to nine airbags and engineered to achieve a five-star Euro NCAP rating.

Reports at the launch in China suggested European spec and pricing might be different to what’s happening at home, with bosses suggesting the Firefly could be positioned more as a VW ID.3, MINI or Smart #1 alternative, hinting at higher pricing.

As far as size goes, it’s understood the new Firefly shares a footprint with small hatchbacks like the VW Polo.

NIO has already announced that it and Firefly want to launch in right-hand drive markets such as the UK in ‘early 2025’ but there’s been no sign of any progress on that front, hinting it might arrive there later this year.

In Europe, Firefly models will be sold via a third-party dealer network.

Plans for Australia remain unknown, but next year NIO will introduce yet another cut-price brand called Onvo that’s been created to be among the most affordable EVs going.

Like the Firefly, it is expected to also sell in the UK, suggesting an Australian opportunity also exists.

Full details and technical specification of the Firefly are expected early in 2025.