Chinese EV maker Nio has refreshed its Firefly compact hatchback a mere year after launch. You likely won’t tell it from the old version just by looking at it, but the improvements under the metal are quite nice.
In terms of looks, the new Firefly can be ordered in a new shade of orange (pictured above) and with a new, optional 18-inch set of wheels. Other than that, it looks exactly the same as before staying 4,003 mm (156.3 inches) long with 2,615 mm (102.1 inches) between the axles. The trunk size starts at 335 liters (11.83 cubic feet) and increases to 1,253 liters (44.25 cubic feet) with the rear bench seat folded. A large 92-liter (3.25-cu.ft.) frunk is also provided.
Inside, the infotainment system now integrates with the Nintendo Switch console for seamless gaming. Nio claims improvements across the board for numerous ADAS features, such as faster and more reliable self-parking. The trims stay the same, but it’s certainly not a bad thing. The cheapest trim gets you climate control, heated steering wheel and front seats, nine airbags and 14 audio speakers, among other modern niceties.
The electric motor at the rear axle retains its hardware but outputs 163 PS (161 hp / 120 kW) now instead of 143 PS (141 hp / 105 kW) thanks to various ECU optimizations. As a result, the Nio Firefly now needs 7.9 seconds to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) instead of 8.1. Once fully charged, it covers 420 km (261 miles) per the CLTC standard. Remarkably, Nio says it will offer the motor power upgrade as a simple software update to the pre-facelift Firefly owners.
The domestic pricing hasn’t changed. You can still grab a Firefly starting from 119,800 Yuan ($17,525).
