BYD Asia Pacific has launched the Dolphin in another key right-hand-drive market, although this time more details around the pricing of the variants have also been revealed.
This could give Australian consumers an idea of what to expect from the pricing and specs when it arrives in Australia and New Zealand.
Pricing of the Dolphin in Hong Kong starts at the equivalent of $A37,340 for the standard range. The extended range model will be starting at the equivalent of $A46,100 before any add-ons.
It’s worth noting that given Hong Kong’s proximity to China where these cars will be built, the shipping costs would be significantly less than the cars sent to Australia.
This means that higher prices are expected for the locally delivered Dolphin variants when they expectedly launch later this year.
On May 24th, BYD and JCM jointly launch the BYD Dolphin at the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel.
The dynamic EV arrives with waves to Hong Kong China.
Celebrates the success of the BYD Dolphin launch!#BYD #BYDHongkongChina #BYDDolphin pic.twitter.com/CypCZRc6l2— BYD Asia Pacific (@BYD_AsiaPacific) May 24, 2023
From the launch in Hong Kong, and shared on BYD owners group Australia Facebook group by a BYD enthusiast, Xingyu, the BYD Dolphin will be available in four single colours:
- White
- Grey
- Purple
- Pink
There are also two-tone colour options available as well.
A standard and extended range model will be available in Hong King with the standard range model coming equipped with a 45 kWh BYD blade battery.
The longer range model will feature a 60 kWh battery pack, offering up to 490 km of range on the NEDC test cycle.
Standard range Dolphin will come with a 70 kW front-mounted motor meanwhile the extended version will arrive with a 150 kW motor.
Speaking of the powertrain, the extended-range model of the Dolphin in Hong Kong appears to be very similar to what’s available in the Atto 3 in Australia.
The very popular Atto 3 in both standard and extended range variants is powered by a 150 kW BYD motor as well.
On the interior front, a 12.8-inch rotatable screen is included across both models along with a smaller 5-inch screen behind the steering wheel.
Staying on the inside, a glass panoramic roof is also included on the extended range model which like the Atto 3 is quite a nice addition.
News on the Hong Kong launch comes around the same time as the expression of interest opening in New Zealand.
With more sightings of the Dolphin here in Australia too, the anticipation amongst electric car advocates and owners is increasing.
Australia does need more affordable EVs to allow thousands more people to make the switch to cleaner EVs sooner rather than later.
The launch in another right-hand-drive market like Hong Kong is promising and gets us one step closer to more affordable EVs landing in Australia in the coming months.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.