We are desperate to see Nio’s bonkers Firefly rally car compete in the WRC

As our 2025 Shanghai Motorshow recap discusses, motorsport-y creations were far and few between. But one that did make an appearance was this potential WRC competitor dubbed ‘Firefly’.

Conceived by Chinese marque Nio’s sub-brand of the same name, it’s based on the pre-existing Firefly five-door supermini that’s soon to be launched in China. It may even come to Britain in the future, a brand spokesperson confirmed.

Anyway, let’s talk about the hot one. It retains the tri-lamp light clusters from the original, and… very little else. You may spot a mildly aggressive body kit attached if you squint hard enough, and that seems like suitable battle attire to go up against a GR Yaris Rally1.

And would you look at that rear end; the diffuser and wing are no joke, and probably combine to generate more downforce than you'll ever need. Other cosmetic bits include bright white racing alloys, a roof scoop and thick vents at the back of each wheel arch. That’s cooling sorted then.

Inside you’ll spot many buttons for features like DRS and pit lane speed limit. There’s a massive yank stick in there too to help with some sideways, though the still-present infotainment screen and driver’s display show it's a working prototype.

We’ve no idea what’s powering this particular Firefly, but we do know the standard version is said to have a 140bhp rear-biased e-motor and 42.1kWh battery, delivering a claimed 140-mile range. It also features Nio’s battery-swap technology, independent Multimatic suspension and distributes its 1.5-tonne weight - comparable to a Peugeot e-208 - equally across both axles.

Hands up who wants to see one of these hanging its backside off the edge of a cliff in the Acropolis Rally?