Story audio is generated using AI
During the past five years, SA consumers have been exposed to entirely new automotive nameplates.
Titles that, a decade ago, were unheard of but are now climbing up sales charts to rival leading legacy players.
There is another one on the horizon. But if you are the kind of reader partial to keeping tabs on the overseas market, then the name Nio might not be all that foreign.
It is a Chinese brand specialising in electric vehicles, and its products are set to be released locally before the year ends. Kicking the business off is the new Firefly compact, which has the honour of being the 2026 World Urban Car category winner in the prestigious World Car Awards programme.
This reporter has the privilege of being one of the three SA jurors on the competition panel, which dates back to 2004.
Lebano Group will be responsible for distributing the Nio portfolio locally. Its core business is in mining, but this expansion into automotive is part of a longer-term strategy.
Lebano Group offered us an exclusive preview of the vehicle, and I spent five days with it.
The B-segment hatch is similar in dimensions to a Volkswagen Polo, with a useful five-door configuration.
The importer said the Firefly is not aimed at the budget end of the electric car market but is intended to compete with the GWM Ora 5 BEV and Mini Cooper Hatch SE.
In terms of dimensions, it is significantly larger than the BYD Dolphin Surf and the Geely E2, both A-segment runabouts.
And from behind the wheel, the Firefly certainly feels like a grown-up product, in line with what the GWM and Mini alternatives offer. It is 4,003mm long, 2,013mm wide and 1,557mm tall.
But before we get to the good, allow me to address the criticisms. The first negative point is that it uses an NFC card rather than a conventional key fob. We encountered this in the Leapmotor C10 and iCaur V23 and found it finicky and risky to be stranded if the card snaps.
As Volvo debuted with the EX30, the Nio Firefly has its side mirror adjustment controls in the interface. By now, many other Chinese brands have adopted this approach, so it was less jarring.
What we dislike is that even the ventilation direction controls are placed within the infotainment menus. This was a criticism even in the Porsche Taycan, and it applies here, because one can never really get the airflow direction just right.
In typical Chinese car fashion, the driver aids (lane-keep assist and driver alertness monitor) have a knack for being overly sensitive and not quite in tune with our road markings. That quirk was easily solved by deactivating the system, something you have to do each time, as there is no disengage-and-forget override.
My parting shot while talking about gripes is the sound system’s audio profile, which seemed better suited to the shrill, treble-heavy timbre of Taylor Swift rather than the bass-richness of Dr Dre — but this is a subjective point.
Those three (or four) irritants aside, the Firefly proved to be a charming test subject, and on cute factor alone, many observers appeared to be sold.
The car’s looks are very interesting. Dare we say it, but there is a hint of the original Volkswagen Golf Mk1 in the rectangular silhouette. And some kinship with the Honda E, which is not sold here. At the front and rear, it has a distinctive lighting signature comprising six circular “eyes”, evoking a friendlier Monsters, Inc. character. The lavender shade of our test car contributed to this sense of being a harmless, cheerful critter.
The interior of our test car was finished in a cream-coloured scheme, with suede-like door inserts, leatherette and fabric. Its impression was one of good quality, perhaps not quite at the Teutonic level of the Mini, but certainly good enough to be classed as near-premium.
It is a clean and uncluttered design; the only moving parts are the indicator and gear selector stalks, electric window switches, door handles and a very chunky central armrest. Oh, and the physical steering-mounted buttons for audio and cruise control.
The test unit was brand new and had mere delivery mileage when it was brought to us. The claimed range according to the brochure is 330km. Fully charged (slowly, using the AC outlet and a three-pin socket in our basement); the indicated range was just over 300km. Net battery capacity is 41.2kWh.
Nio claims an electricity consumption figure of 14.5kWh/100km. That appears to have been closely matched by figures from the on-board computer.
Aside from the subtle, simulated electric buzz customary of electric vehicles, the Firefly sets off in silence.
Its quoted 0-100km/h sprint time of 8.1 seconds is adequate for the daily slog, enabling confident merging and gap-taking. It certainly does not feel as pedestrian as smaller, slower compacts like the BYD Dolphin Surf Dynamic with its agonisingly slow crawl to 100km/h in over 15 seconds. The Nio Firefly’s top speed is capped at 150km/h.
Performance in the real world is better than the fairly modest 105kW/200Nm output of the electric motor suggests.
The motor drives the rear wheels, giving the car a noticeably sharper, more responsive turn-in compared to a typical engine-powered front-drive B-segment car.
Interestingly, Nio claims a 50/50 weight distribution (remember when BMW used to push that agenda hard?), and further aiding its handling is a five-link rear suspension.
My commute during the test week included an airport run, and the vehicle felt planted amid the busy, frantic paces of the N3 and N12.
The boot offers 404l of space, while the front trunk gives 92l and is ideal for grocery bags, keeping them upright. Two model grades are listed in the brochure: Select and Comfort.
Our car was the latter, outfitted with every amenity expected of a want-it-all buyer in 2026. That includes a panoramic roof, 360-degree camera and seven standard airbags.
The brand will launch before year-end, and first deliveries are expected early in 2027.
Lebano Group aims to sell as many as 200 units in the first year, and pricing is anticipated to be around the R550,000 mark. A five-year/150,000km vehicle warranty and eight-year/160,000km battery warranty will apply.
The company said it is currently in talks with an “established dealer group” around distribution and support.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.