Nio is planning a UK launch of its electric Firefly hatchback – a rival to the Mini Cooper - for next year, the Chinese firm has told Autocar.

It has shown a right-hand-drive version of the 4003mm-long hatchback at the Guangzhou motor show, after it announced earlier in this month that it had started building cars in the configuration. Singapore will be the first market for these.

Nio has already begun selling the model in left-hand-drive form in European countries including the Netherlands, where it costs from €29,900 (£26,349).

The car is pitched at the upper end of the small car market, with the Cooper hatch a key rival, a spokesperson told Autocar. The Cooper E costs from £28,905, including the UK's £1500 Electric Car Grant.

The rear-wheel-drive Firefly packs a 41kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery for a claimed WLTP range of 330km (205 miles). The Cooper E gets 180-mile range from a 37kWh battery.

Nio has made a name for itself offering swappable batteries across its EVs, including the Firefly, but it remains to be seen whether the firm builds a network of battery swap station in the UK.

The price of the Firefly in the Netherlands includes the battery, but in some countries Nio offers the car at a discount in return for a monthly battery rental fee, allowing swapping.

The Firefly is equipped with electrically adjustable and heated front seats, and higher-priced versions offer seat ventilation as well.

Other equipment includes a 14-speaker sound system, air-cooled 50W wireless phone charging, a 360deg camera and 3.5kW vehicle-to-load functionality, meaning the car can power external devices.

The rear-mounted electric motor is rated at 141bhp to give a 0-62mph acceleration time of 8.1sec.

The Firefly has impressive storage capacity, with 404 litres in the boot, 92 litres in the frunk and 26 litres under the rear seats.

Nio sold 5912 examples of the Firefly in October, mainly in its home market of China.

It also showed off a rally-themed version of the car at Guangzhou, with chunky tyres, a big rear wing, side skirts and additional driving lights.

The new car was created with tuner APW, which has worked on a variety of similarly themed projects, including a Porsche 911 and a BMW M3.