NIO Firefly, the Chinese competitor to the Renault 5 and Volkswagen ID. 2, has been confirmed for sale in Europe. The small electric car, launched in China last April, offers a range of up to 420 kilometers and a single rear-mounted 141 hp motor, priced at around $17,000.
Firefly was initially announced as a new brand, alongside Onfo, but the two brands were repositioned as sub-brands of NIO shortly after their launch.
NIO sold around 3,680 Firefly units in May, its first full month on the market, playing a key role in the brand’s overall sales increase of 13.1% year-on-year during the month.
Although the car has only been offered in left-hand drive so far, NIO President Chen Lihong stated at the Shanghai Auto Show that the company will launch a right-hand drive version for the UK by October.
NIO is currently undergoing significant expansion in Europe, having pledged to enter 16 new global markets this year alone. It has now confirmed that seven of these markets will be European: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, and Romania. This is due to the general trend towards electric vehicle purchases.
The sales of Chinese electric vehicles in Europe have been a major concern for European Union officials, as most countries have imposed high import taxes on Chinese cars to limit their spread and force Chinese companies to manufacture within the EU.
The UK is one of the European countries that has not imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports, which has been a major incentive; NIO vehicles are currently subject to a 31% additional tariff in the EU.
