‘Firefly’ and ‘Alps’: Nio brings two new brands to Europe

This message is not completely new, because Firefly and Alps were previously briefly announced. These names are not yet final, but for the time being they serve as working names. It is therefore possible that Nio will come up with another name, but it is already clear that the Chinese are working on new brands. Where Nio itself says it competes with brands such as BMW, Mercedes and Audi, the traditional premium corner, Alps is becoming a truly mainstream brand. Funny enough, Nio does not mention Kia, Peugeot and Volkswagen as competitors, but Tesla. In at least one respect they have a point, because Tesla’s pricing is indeed well below the Nio that we already know. ‘Firefly’ stands for a second Nio subsidiary, a brand that is even more specifically intended for Europe. It will first come onto the market here and only then will it appear in China, in reverse order. Firefly must start making smaller cars for the B segment. The class of the 208, Clio and Polo. That segment, says Nio’s co-founder Lihong Qin, is a niche market in China. In Europe, this compact class is very important, hence this order. Firefly, or whatever it will eventually be called, wants to supply small cars that can compete with the best in terms of technology. It also became clear earlier that Firefly is keeping a close eye on the budget: an EV of 25,000 euros must be feasible for this brand, which is competing with cars such as the Citroën ë-C3, the Renault 5 and Volkswagen’s future ID2 (all ). Things are still getting seriously busy in the electric B-segment!

Alps must show its first car in 2024 and then come on the market in Europe in 2025. The cars of the new brands will undoubtedly also be able to handle Nio’s battery swapping stations, which will therefore be busier and more likely to be lucrative. In any case, it is hoped that the new brands will be more popular here than Nio itself, because things have not been going so smoothly with that brand so far.