BYD has revealed it will take its smallest and most popular electric vehicle model – the Dolphin Mini – to more global markets, starting with multiple market in South America in coming months.
According to reports from CNC, the Dolphin Mini will be landing in Uruguay and Brazil, with a starting price equivalent to $A33,900 or $US21,990.
This would make it one of the most affordable EVs in the market in both countries and marks a major milestone for the company as it looks to take this all-electric city car to many other markets in 2024.
BYD DOLPHIN MINI. Stylish design, spacious interior, advanced safety features.
The revolutionary BYD Blade Battery ensures top-tier safety and performance, while offering a range of 427km and 29-minute DC Charging (SOC 30%-80%). #BYD #DolphinMini #ElectricVehicle pic.twitter.com/8Rtl5sR6Ph
— BYD (@BYDCompany) February 5, 2024
The BYD Dolphin Mini is offered with two battery sizes, 30.08 kWh and 38.88 kWh.
The larger battery of 38.88 kWh can deliver up to 405 km of CLTC range, which is more likely to be around 300 km on the WLTP cycle. These battery packs power a single-motor drivetrain that can deliver up to 55 kW of power.
The BYD Dolphin Mini was launched at the Shanghai auto show in April, 2023. It was reportedly the star of that show, raking in thousands of orders in only a few days of being there.
BYD began deliveries of the vehicle in its home market of China and just six months later had produced 200,000, making it one of the fastest-selling electric cars in the market.
According to data compiled by CNC, the BYD Dolphin Mini is the company’s best-selling electric car, accounting for 280,217 sales in 2023.
Last month, according to new data compiled by thinkercar on X, the Dolphin Mini exports made it in the top 10 exported NEVs (new energy vehicles) in China for the month of January, although with just 5,100 units.
BYD took out five spots in the top 10 list.
In Jan 2024, among the top 20 NEV models by export volume, #Tesla Model 3 and Model Y ranked 1st and 2nd. The 3rd to 7th positions are held by #BYD 's Song+DM, Yuan+(Atto3), Dolphin, Seagull, and Seal. pic.twitter.com/N8Q8tBefUQ
— ThinkerCar (@thinkercar) February 13, 2024
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.