Firefly to hit the road in Norway and the Netherlands

Nio announced that its sub-brand Firefly is headed to Europe. The first markets will be Norway and the Netherlands, where the carmaker will open its order books in the third quarter of this year. First deliveries are scheduled for autumn.

In Norway, the brand’s debut car, which bears the same name as the brand, will be available from 279,900 NOK. That is roughly 23,500 euros at the current exchange rate. A price for the Netherlands has not yet been made public.

Firefly launched its first electric car in China a few days ago. There, it sells for the equivalent of 14,200 euros. Moreover, customers there can choose to rent the battery instead of buying it, further reducing the initial starting price. It is not clear whether that option will also be available in Europe.

The Firefly EV is a small car aimed at the mass market. It measures 4.0 x 1.88 x 1.56 metres and has a wheelbase of 2.62 metres. Interestingly, it seems that the European variant is ten centimetres wider than the Chinese version, which is said to measure 1.78 metres in width. Either way, in Europe, the electric vehicle will compete with the Citroen e-C3, the Renault 5 Electric, and the VW ID.2all concept when it hits the road.

It is powered by a rear-wheel 105 kW motor with 200 Nm of torque, manufactured by parent company Nio. Combined with an LFP battery from Sunwoda with an energy content of 42.1 kWh, the car has a WLTP range of 330 kilometres (470 kilometres in the city). Just for comparison: In China, the range is specified as 420 kilometres according to the Chinese testing cycle. It can sprint from zero to 100 kph in 8.1 seconds and has a top speed of 150 kph.

Moreover, Nio specifies that the newcomer will be able to charge with up to 100 kW DC, meaning that charging the battery from 10 to 80 per cent will take 29 minutes. It can also charge AC with 7 or 11 kW. The Firefly EV will also offer vehicle-to-load.

Customers will be able to choose from two two equipment versions, Select and Comfort, five 2-tone colours (including lavender, sand and lava stone) and two interior themes: black (Obsidian) and white (Travertine). All in all, there will be 40 combinations possible, says Nio. The EV will go on sale in Norway at the Nio House in Oslo and the Nio Space in Bergen later this year, with test drives starting this summer. First units will be handed over to customers this autumn. As the news was published by Nio Norge, there is no additional information for the Netherlands yet.

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