BYD, the Chinese car maker locked in a battle for global EV supremacy with Tesla, has delivered more than 8,000 EVs in Australia the first nine months of 2023, and all of these have been the popular Atto 3 electric SUV.Ā
A more affordable electric hatchback – including a variant below $40,000 (before on road costs) has also been launched by the company, and aĀ truckload of these BYD Dolphins has been spotted in Melbourne by Marcus L and shared on Facebook.
The truck seen driving on a rainy day in Melbourne is carrying four BYD Dolphins in the southeastern suburb of Oakleigh.
Out of the four Dolphins spotted, two appear to be in Sand White colour while the others are in Coral Pink. The latter is quite a unique colour and not found on many vehicles in the Australian market.
āCanāt wait for my pink premium one!!!ā wrote one reader on Facebook. Another order holder was hopeful that the first deliveries werenāt too far: āCan it come to Adelaide sooooon? I want the car now šā.
Others found a truckload of Dolphins to be quite humorous: āA Pod Of Dolphins! (Sorry, dad jokeā¦..)ā.
The BYD Dolphin is dubbed Australiaās most affordable EV starting at a price point of under $39,000 before on-roads. The local Dolphin line-up includes:
- Dynamic – starts at $38,890
- Premium – starts at $44,890
- Sport – starts at $49,990
Diving into the specs of the other models. the Dynamic variant is powered by a 70 kW motor which is paired with a 44.9 kWh battery pack. This will be a popular option for anyone looking at getting from A to B and for inner-city driving.Ā
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. This powertrain is similar to that found on the Atto 3 electric SUV.
Orders opened in June for those interested in the BYDās electric hatchback.Ā Deliveries of the Dynamic and Premium variants were estimated to start in September or October in 2023, which is where we are today.Ā
So actual customer deliveries are likely to be in the coming weeks, which is very exciting for hundreds of order holders across the country. It will also mean that the choice and quality of electric vehicles in Australia is on the rise which is whatās needed to further increase interest in cleaner electric cars for our roads.
RizĀ 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.