‘Radical' new budget ‘supermini' EV rivalling ‘beast' Renault & ‘powerful' Volkswagen is coming to UK in months
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A "RADICAL" new budget "supermini" EV, set to rival Renault's "beast" and Volkswagen's "powerful" models, is arriving in the UK in just months."
The Nio Firefly has been confirmed for the European market, with UK sales expected soon.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
3
The Nio Firefly, a Chinese rival for the Renault 5
Credit: Nio
3
The Chinese EV offers an impressive 260-mile range
Credit: Nio
3
The budget electric car is expected to cost around £12,500
Credit: Alamy
The Chinese EV offers an impressive 260-mile range and a single rear-mounted 141bhp motor.
The budget electric car is expected to cost around £12,500.
After launching in China, Nio sold 3,680 Firefly models last month, boosting the brand's overall sales by a whopping 13.1 per cent.
Reports suggest that the Firefly will be available in UK showrooms imminently, according to Autocar.
Qin Lihong, Nio's president, revealed that it would launch a right-hand-drive variant for the UK by October.
The Chinese car brand is rapidly expanding across Europe, aiming to enter 16 new global markets this year.
It comes after an ultra-ambitious car maker revealed a new budget EV that some claim could rival Tesla.
Little-known Chinese manufacturer Nio is to release a sub-brand called Firefly - which will offer entry-level electric vehicles.
Spy shots have revealed the brand testing a small city-style hatchback, which is tipped to be showcased to the world on December 21 for their so-called Nio Day in Guangzhou, China.
Known for their advanced technology and innovative features, Nio is a relatively new EV startup - established in 2014 and adopting its current name in 2016.
New EV from China that's 'over £5,000 cheaper than Tesla' coming to the UK in weeks
Their first mass-produced car was the ES8, an all-electric SUV, which began sales in June 2018.
Nio also has a family-oriented brand called Onvo, with Onvo L60 the only model currently available for sale under that name.
The new Firefly marque will sit at the bottom of their tier of brands and will focus on small and mid-size EVs.
Automotive outlet CarScoops first revealed the motor back in March, and new photos they obtained revealed it will look like a typical hatchback in size with a short front and rear overhang - resembling the five-door Mini Cooper and BYD Dolphin.
Photos of the Firefly's interior have also been published by IT Home and CarNewsChina.
Judging by these, it appears it will feature a large central infotainment screen along with a digital instrument cluster - all despite its budget-orientated appeal.
Little else is known about the new hatchback, and it will initially be launched in China before it comes to Europe - although tariff hikes will likely make it pricier than originally planned.
The release of the Firefly could certainly give Tesla something to think about in the future.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
I stayed in the Airbnb alternative trying to do things differently
Metro Checks In to Limehome, a holiday rental platform that's hoping to give Airbnb and VRBO a run for their money. I love Spain, particularly its mainland cities; gazing at Gaudi's masterpieces in Barcelona, watching flamenco in Madrid, and of course, eating tapas anywhere, anytime, at any given opportunity. But as a British tourist, Spain doesn't always love me back. Backlash to mass tourism has snowballed in the past year, with locals complaining of overcrowding and short-term rentals wiping out affordable housing in holiday hotspots. At first glance, Limehome, a sort of Airbnb alternative which offers short-let apartments in 153 European cities, might seem like it's adding to the problem. But the strategy is different. Limehome aims to transform unused urban buildings into hotels and apartments, reducing the impact on housing for locals. Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration. Sign up here. 'This approach helps bring new life to city areas without impacting the availability of residential housing,' a spokesperson told Metro. They've recently acquired an office building in Paris, which will be transformed into 25 apartments, as well as an unused building in Burgos, a city in Northern Spain less popular with visitors than its famous neighbours. I headed to the Limehome in Ruzafa, Valencia's trendiest neighbourhood, to check it out. Limehome is a hotel-holiday apartment hybrid. There's no reception or concierge — it's all done via an app. You can check in online before your stay, much like you do for a flight. Then, on the day of arrival, you're sent the codes which you use to access the building. To some, this could feel impersonal, but it's quick, easy and faff-free. Opening the door to the light-filled apartment, it's clear to see that providing a clean, comfortable stay is the priority. The aesthetic is all clean lines and grey interiors, with a pop-of-red kitchen. There are a few extra touches to make the place feel cosier, such as houseplants and colourful art on the walls. If a hotel full of personality and local tips is what you're after, this isn't for you — if you'd told me I was the first person to stay here, I'd have believed you. There's no guest book or well-worn pamphlets like you might find in an Airbnb, and I didn't see a single other guest for the three days I was there. But the apartment was spotless, the kitchen stocked with everything you need (including an all-important bottle opener) and the Wi-Fi super fast. Someone visiting Valencia on business would be equally at home here as a group of friends on a city break. The apartment I stayed in had one bedroom, plus a sofa bed in the lounge/dining area. It was spacious, more than big enough for the maximum four people that could stay here. Beds were comfortable, and the bathroom was equipped with shower gel and shampoo, unusual for stays like this. As a self-catered apartment, you won't find any adds on: there's no spa or swimming pool, for example, but the standout feature has to be the cute balcony that looks out onto the street below. Small but compact, it was the perfect spot to rest my legs after a long day of sightseeing, sangria in hand, of course. A special shout-out also goes to the full-length mirror – this should be a must in every holiday accommodation, but it's not. Often, when staying in a self-service apartment, it's all about location. You're foregoing the luxury amenities of a hotel, in exchange for staying right in the action. That's certainly the case for Limehome Valencia, which is in the heart of Ruzafa, Valencia's hipster neighbourhood. You're spoilt for choice when it comes to food and drink: from aesthetically pleasing brunch spots (I liked Casa Raíz with it's cute outdoor courtyard), and some of the best tapas I've ever eaten (I lost count of the amount of plates I ordered at La Anjana) to quirky cocktail bars (La Bella De Cadiz is quite a sight to behold…). There are vintage stores and art galleries, and Ruzafa is known for being particularly LGBTQ+ friendly, with rainbow flagged adorned from various balconies and awnings. And, while it's not Valencia's most famous area for street art (you'll have to head to El Carmen for that), Rufaza feels colourful and creative. You'll still be able to spot some amazing murals if you keep your eyes peeled. You feel like you're hanging out with the locals here, who spill out of bars, and drink Agua de Valencia — a lethal but delicious cocktail — on the kerb. The only downside is that it's not exactly quiet, and it was a little noisy when attempting to sleep. That being said, as a Londoner who lives on a main road, I was able to drift out without any problems. That's not as straightforward as you might think. Limehome uses airline-style dynamic pricing driven by demand, the local market price, and the respective occupancy rate at the location. Rates rise during peak periods (such as during Valencia's famous street-festival Las Fallas in mid-March) and falls when demand is softer. At the time of writing, a standard room in Valencia for a small one-guest apartment will cost: October 8 2025: €123 per night January 14 2026: €98 per night When I first arrived, I threw open the doors of the balcony, and was immediately confronted with a banner hanging from the window of the flat opposite, with the words 'tourists go home'. Perhaps I should have opted for an alternative destination or a locally-run hotel — as Metro's Lifestyle Editor, it's not like I'm unaware of up-and-coming cities that aren't overrun with visitors. More Trending I tried my best to be a responsible tourist. I booked tours with local companies, bought produce from local suppliers at the Central Market, and ate food at restaurants owned by Spanish chefs. Yes, I may have stayed in a short-term let, but Limehome is at least attempting to do things differently. Am I trying to justify my trip to a country that welcomed a staggering 17.3 million British tourists in 2023 alone? Maybe. But I'm not ready to give up my love affair with Spain just yet. Time: Valencia is GMT +1 hours. Weather: The average daily temperature in July and August is around 31°C. Spring is much cooler, with highs of around 21°C in April. Adaptors: Plugs in Spain are type F, which has two round pins. Visas: Currently, there is no visa requirement for UK tourists visiting Spain. However, next year 2026, UK citizens will need to obtain an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System). Check in/check out: 3pm and 11am. Disability access? Yes. Limehome Valencia has a lift, which offers access to all floors. However, not all Limehome apartments are the same, and it's important to check before booking. Standout feature: The right-in-the-heart-of-it location, and little balcony. Perfect for: Limehome Valencia would suit pretty much every type and group of guest, from families to business travellers. Not right for: Those looking for a stay with bags of character. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: Europe's 'Paris of the East' is an underrated gem with £37 flights and 31°C August weather MORE: Family forced to hide in their cabin during £8,000 cruise from hell MORE: European seaside town takes aim at tourists with sassy poster and begs for 'decorum'
New Statesman
3 hours ago
- New Statesman
How Britain lost the status game
Photo by Stefan Rousseau/AFP I've always been a bit puzzled by the 1956 Suez Crisis. The idea of Britain, France and Israel plotting together but being defeated by the honest, righteous Americans does feel, nearly a lifetime later, a little strange. But the most baffling thing about the Suez Crisis is the idea that it was a crisis. It's always described as this a great national humiliation which ruined a prime minister, the sort of watershed to inspire national soul-searching, state-of-the-nation plays and a whole library of books. And yet, compared to the sort of thing which literally every other European country had to deal with at some point in the 20th century, it's nothing. Britain was not invaded or occupied; Britain did not see its population starve. Britain simply learned that it was no longer top dog. That's all. The event and the reaction don't seem to go together. But this, of course, is to see the world from the perspective of today. Now, we all know that Britain cannot just do what it wants – that the US is the far more powerful player. At the start of 1956, though, large chunks of the map were still coloured British pink (or, come to that, French bleu), and the median opinion at home was that this was broadly a good thing. Suez was the moment when the loss of status we now date to 1945 came home. I wonder, in my darker moments, if we're going through something similar now – a less dramatic decline, perhaps, but a potentially more ruinous one. The loss of empire, after all, was mainly an issue for the pride of the political classes. Today's decline in status affects everyone. Consider the number of areas in which the current British government seems utterly helpless before the might of much bigger forces. It's not quite true to say that Rachel Reeves has no room for manoeuvre – breaking a manifesto pledge and raising one of the core taxes remains an option, albeit one that would be painful for government and taxpayer alike. But her borrowing and spending options are constrained by the sense of a bond market both far flightier than it once was, thanks to an increase in short term investors, and less willing, post-Truss, to give Britain the benefit of the doubt. The thing that much of the public would like Reeves to do – spend more, without raising taxes – is a thing it is by no means clear she has the power to do. Over in foreign policy, Keir Starmer has offended sensibilities by making nice with someone entirely unfit to be president of the United States, and whose actions place him a lot closer to the dictators of the 20th century than to Eisenhower or JFK. The problem for Starmer is that saying this out loud would likely result in ruinous tariffs, or the collapse of NATO before an alternative system for the defence of Europe can be prepared, or both. Again, he has no space to do what his voters want him to do. In the same vein, consider the anger about Britain's failure to act to prevent the horrors still unfolding in Gaza. It is not to imply the government has handled things well to suggest that at least part of the problem is that – 69 years on from Suez – the government of Israel doesn't give a fig about what the government of Britain thinks. The things the public wants may be outside the realm of things the government can actually deliver. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Even in less overtly political realms, the British state feels helplessly at the mercy of global forces beyond its control. The domestic TV industry, a huge British export, is in crisis thanks to the streamers. AI will change the world, we're told, and it's very possible that isn't a good thing: and what is Westminster supposed to do about that? And with which faculties? In all these areas and a thousand more, people want their government to do something to change the direction of events, and it is not at all obvious it can. Ever since 2016, British politics has been plagued by a faintly Australian assumption that, if a prime minister is not delivering, you should kick them out and bring in the next one. That is not the worst impulse in a democracy. But what if Britain is so changed that delivery is not possible? Researchers have found that social status affects the immune system of certain types of monkey – that the stress of lower status can, quite literally, kill. It already looks plausible the electorate might roll the dice on Nigel Farage. This is terrifying enough. But when it turns out he can't take back control either, but only trash what's there – what then? [See more: Trump in the wilderness] Related
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Victims of killer self-driving Tesla on autopilot get a huge payout after four-year legal battle
A Miami jury has found Tesla was partly responsible for the 2019 crash of a self-driving vehicle that killed a woman and left her boyfriend badly injured to the tune of $242million in damages. Naibel Benavides Leon, 22, died after a Tesla Model S slammed in to her and boyfriend Dillon Angulo, then 27, in 2019. The couple had pulled over to look at the stars at the side of a road near Key Largo, Florida, when they were struck by the vehicle after driver George McGee took his eye off the road to reach for his phone. The federal jury held that Tesla bore significant responsibility because its technology failed and that not all the blame can be put on a reckless driver, even one who admitted he was distracted by his cellphone before hitting a young couple out gazing at the stars. The decision comes as Musk seeks to convince Americans his cars are safe enough to drive on their own as he plans to roll out a driverless taxi service in several cities in the coming months. Footage from the Tesla's front camera showed McGee blow through a red light as he speeds down the road at nearly 70mph. The car passes a stop sign and crashes through several other road signs before striking the couple's vehicle, which was parked 40 feet off Card Sound Road by County Road 905. Benavides Leon was thrown 75 feet and died at the scene, while Angulo suffered serious injuries, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Tesla by the woman's estate. The decision ends a four-year long case remarkable not just in its outcome but that it even made it to trial. Many similar cases against Tesla have been dismissed and, when that didn't happen, settled by the company to avoid the spotlight of a trial. 'This will open the floodgates,' said Miguel Custodio, a car crash lawyer not involved in the Tesla case. 'It will embolden a lot of people to come to court.' The case also included startling charges by lawyers for the family of Leon and for her injured boyfriend Angulo. They claimed Tesla either hid or lost key evidence, including data and video recorded seconds before the accident. Tesla said it made a mistake after being shown the evidence and honestly hadn´t thought it was there. 'We finally learned what happened that night, that the car was actually defective,' said Benavides' sister, Neima Benavides. 'Justice was achieved.' The decision comes as Elon Musk (pictured) seeks to convince Americans his cars are safe enough to drive on their own as he plans to roll out a driverless taxi service in several cities in the coming months Tesla has previously faced criticism that it is slow to cough up crucial data by relatives of other victims in Tesla crashes, accusations that the car company has denied. In this case, the plaintiffs showed Tesla had the evidence all along, despite its repeated denials, by hiring a forensic data expert who dug it up. 'Today´s verdict is wrong,' Tesla said in a statement, 'and only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardize Tesla´s and the entire industry´s efforts to develop and implement lifesaving technology,' They said the plaintiffs concocted a story 'blaming the car when the driver - from day one - admitted and accepted responsibility.' In addition to a punitive award of $200 million, the jury said Tesla must also pay $43 million of a total $129 million in compensatory damages for the crash, bringing the total borne by the company to $243 million. 'It's a big number that will send shock waves to others in the industry,' said financial analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities. 'It's not a good day for Tesla.' Tesla said it will appeal. Even if that fails, the company says it will end up paying far less than what the jury decided because of a pre-trial agreement that limits punitive damages to three times Tesla´s compensatory damages. Translation: $172 million, not $243 million. But the plaintiff says their deal was based on a multiple of all compensatory damages, not just Tesla´s, and the figure the jury awarded is the one the company will have to pay. It´s not clear how much of a hit to Tesla´s reputation for safety the verdict in the Miami case will make. Tesla has vastly improved its technology since the crash on a dark, rural road in Key Largo, Florida, in 2019. But the issue of trust generally in the company came up several times in the case, including in closing arguments Thursday. The plaintiffs´ lead lawyer, Brett Schreiber, said Tesla´s decision to even use the term Autopilot showed it was willing to mislead people and take big risks with their lives because the system only helps drivers with lane changes, slowing a car and other tasks, falling far short of driving the car itself. Schreiber said other automakers use terms like 'driver assist' and 'copilot' to make sure drivers don´t rely too much on the technology. 'Words matter,' Schreiber said. 'And if someone is playing fast and lose with words, they´re playing fast and lose with information and facts.' Schreiber acknowledged that the driver, George McGee, was negligent when he blew through flashing lights, a stop sign and a T-intersection at 62 miles an hour before slamming into a Chevrolet Tahoe that the couple had parked to get a look at the stars. The Tahoe spun around so hard it was able to launch Benavides 75 feet through the air into nearby woods where her body was later found. It also left Angulo, who walked into the courtroom Friday with a limp and cushion to sit on, with broken bones and a traumatic brain injury. But Schreiber said Tesla was at fault nonetheless. He said Tesla allowed drivers to act recklessly by not disengaging the Autopilot as soon as they begin to show signs of distraction and by allowing them to use the system on smaller roads that it was not designed for, like the one McGee was driving on. 'I trusted the technology too much,' said McGee at one point in his testimony. 'I believed that if the car saw something in front of it, it would provide a warning and apply the brakes.' The lead defense lawyer in the Miami case, Joel Smith, countered that Tesla warns drivers that they must keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel yet McGee chose not to do that while he looked for a dropped cellphone, adding to the danger by speeding. Noting that McGee had gone through the same intersection 30 or 40 times previously and hadn´t crashed during any of those trips, Smith said that isolated the cause to one thing alone: 'The cause is that he dropped his cellphone.' The auto industry has been watching the case closely because a finding of Tesla liability despite a driver´s admission of reckless behavior would pose significant legal risks for every company as they develop cars that increasingly drive themselves.
