Volkswagen can easily afford to cut the price of an ID.1 by 150,000 kroner. The small electric car Firefly from Chinese company Nio is even cheaper.
Nio's new budget brand, Firefly, is launching its first electric car in China at a sharp price. The small hatchback is particularly challenging the Volkswagen ID.1 on price.
Nio is now presenting its new electric car under the budget brand Firefly. The new Nio Firefly is aimed at competitors like the VW ID.1. At least on price.
The price in China starts at under 101,000 Danish kroner.
The luxury brand Nio, which flopped in Denmark, is thus moving into the market for cheaper electric cars.
This is happening with the launch of the new low-cost brand Firefly EV in China. The brand is also planning an introduction in Europe.
The car has already been spotted testing on European roads, indicating that a launch outside of China is at least something that is likely to happen.
According to Carnewschina, deliveries in China will begin as early as April 29 this year.
The Chinese price was originally set higher. It should have been around 126,000 Danish kroner. But the price was reduced by around 25,000 kroner just before the launch.
Firefly will thus be the cheapest thing Nio has on its shelves. However, it is still unknown what the final price will be in Europe.
Specifications and design of the Firefly electric car
The first car from Firefly has not yet been given an official model name. It is a compact hatchback model. The car measures four meters in length.
The wheelbase is stated to be 261 centimeters. The Chinese themselves emphasize that the car should be 'practical'. Among other things, with many small compartments.
There are no fewer than 27 small storage spaces in the cabin, providing great opportunities for organizing smaller items.
The base model is equipped with a 42 kWh battery. The range is stated to be 420 kilometers. This is measured according to the Chinese CLTC standard.
The CLTC standard is known to be more optimistic than the already heavily criticized European WLTP standard.
It is likely that Nio will offer the car with a larger battery in Europe to match market expectations.
Price in Europe and Nio's situation
A central feature of the car is the ability to change the battery. This is known from Nio's more expensive models. But the cheaper electric car gets the same option.
Nio only managed to establish a single battery exchange station in Denmark. More precisely, in Slagelse. This happened shortly before the brand largely withdrew from the Danish market. The Danish director was fired along with the majority of the employees.
Although the starting price in China is low, you should expect a higher price in Europe. Costs for transportation, import duties and VAT will increase the price.
A European award has not yet been announced.
The new Firefly model competes directly with established electric cars. This applies to models such as the VW ID.3, Cupra Born and Volvo EX30. And of course the ID.1 when it comes to price.
Overall, the price of both electric, petrol and diesel cars will be crucial in the next few years. However, a brand like Mercedes has already said that drivers can forget about the completely cheap electric cars. Read more about it here .
