Chinese car manufacturer BYD has added a surprise “hot hatch” option to the electric Dolphin, which on Thursday became the lowest cost electric vehicle to be released in Australia.
The unveiling of the BYD Dolphin Dynamic, which will start at $38,890 before on-roads and state subsidies, beating the MG4 announced just a few days earlier by $100, presages a new phase in Australia’s EV industry – with low cost offerings, and a price war!
“We believe that today is the day the dial changes,” Luke Todd, the head of EV Direct which imports BYD vehicles into Australia, told AAP on Thursday.
“When you can buy a high-quality EV, a five-seater … that is more price competitive than a petrol equivalent, we believe that heralds the EV era that’s been coming for some time.”
BYD followed that announcement with the official launch of the Dolphin in Brisbane on Thursday, where it revealed pricing and specs of two more higher priced variants of the electric hatchback, including a surprise performance-orientated limited edition “hot hatch” called the Dolphin Sport.
Along with that, orders have also opened for interested buyers.
The BYD Dolphin line-up destined for Australia now includes a total of three variants including:
- Dynamic
- starts at $38,890
- Premium
- starts at $44,890
- Sport
- starts at $49,990
Prices above are listed before on-road costs and any state subsidies.
Accounting for subsidies, in Queensland with the generous $6,000 subsidy, the Dolphin Dynamic will start around $32,890 plus registration fees in the state, which brings this EV very close to a few ICE and hybrid hatchbacks.
The special Sport variant has a limited run of 1,000 units and an estimated delivery time of next year in 2024 for those that place an order on one. It’s looking likely to be a rival to the Cupra Born when it lands next year.
It is expected to be equipped with a few additional features including:
- Sport Performance tyres
- Performance styled rims
- Sport-styled body kit
- Tuned sports performance
- Sub-7 sec 0-100km/h acceleration.
Looking at the specs of the other models. the Dynamic variant is powered by a smaller 70 kW motor which is paired with a 44.9 kWh battery pack.
Premium and Sport variants bump that power up by having a 150 kW motor which is paired with a larger 60.48 kWh battery pack offering a range of up to 427 km of WLTP range.
Colour wise, the Dolphin is available in various options depending on the variant of this electric hatchback.
For the Dynamic model, it is available in four single-tone colours:
- Sand White
- Maldive Purple
- Urban Grey
- Coral Pink
On the Premium variant, the two-tone offerings are:
- Ski White with Urban Grey
- Atlantis Grey with Delan Black
- Surf Blue with Urban Grey
- Coral Pink with Urban Grey
On the Sport variant, it’s only available in Matte Grey.
All variants of the BYD Dolphin will also features on the inside, including:
- Large panoramic moonroof
- Voice-recognition
- Plenty of USB and charging ports throughout the cabin.
Deliveries of the Dynamic and Premium variants are estimated to be in September/October in 2023 which is only months away. Orders are now open for those interested in this electric hatchback.
The Driven’s take: It’s great to see well-equipped more affordable EVs finally heading our way.
We look forward to test-driving the Dolphin and comparing it to other hatchbacks on offer along with the larger Atto 3 which has been a huge success in the local market.
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.