‘Firefly’
New electric cars are still out of reach for many because they are even more expensive than the new cars with a fuel engine, which have already become quite expensive. Nio wants to respond to this by launching a new sub-brand that focuses exclusively on more affordable EVs.
Anyone who is in the market for a new electric car with a bit of a practical driving range should soon be able to bring around €35,000. At the bottom of the market, the flush is still thin and the Dacia Spring has the empire almost to itself. That has to change. Nio is now reporting as a manufacturer that wants to become active in that corner of the market, specifically in Europe. That message coach, that spoke with Nio CEO William Li.
The Chinese manufacturer is launching two projects for it: Firefly and Alps, both still codenames for new subsidiary brands. Firefly is especially interesting; that wants to market an EV that should cost around €25,000 and thus compete with, for example, the production version of the Volkswagen ID2all and possibly also the entry-level Tesla that has been discussed for years. “There is more demand for compact cars in Europe,” said Li, who explains that Firefly really comes into existence with Europe in mind. He expects that it will be a challenge to keep battery costs low enough, ‘but that challenge does not only apply to Nio’. The cars may be given a relatively small battery to reduce costs; Nio will also work with battery exchange stations for this new brand.
The second sub-brand, which is now still known under the code name Alps, will be a step higher in the market. It is not yet entirely clear whether that brand will also come to Europe. In any case, the Nio brand remains at the top. The result of the Firefly project should already be visible next year, then the brand launch.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl