2023 BYD Dolphin to go on sale next week
June 22 release date locked in for upcoming Chinese electric hatchback; could be Australia’s cheapest EVBYD Australia has confirmed the 2023 BYD Dolphin electric hatch will go on sale Down Under on June 22 as “Australia’s most affordable, high quality electric vehicle of all time”.
The announcement, made by BYD Australia CEO Luke Todd via LinkedIn, suggests the long-awaited Dolphin EV will indeed undercut the similarly-sized GWM Ora’s starting figure of $43,990 plus on-road costs and also cause a few headaches for the upcoming MG4, which starts from $44,990 drive-away.
But as we reported last month, MG Motor Australia is planning to launch an even cheaper version of the MG4 by the end of this year, meaning consumers in the market for a genuinely affordable EVs could soon be spoilt for choice.
However, both the MG and the GWM come with seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranties – something not offered for the established BYD Atto3 (six years/150,000km, with a host of sub-clauses) and therefore unlikely to be made available for the Dolphin.
We’re yet to see any formal Australian specification details of the BYD Dolphin, but the two-pronged Kiwi line-up gives us a pretty good indication of what’s to come, including outputs of between 70kW/180Nm and 150kW/310Nm, and estimated WLTP driving ranges of 340-427km.
The lower figures in both respects are provided by the ‘Standard Range’ variant, which relies on a 44.9kWh battery pack, while the higher numbers belong to the ‘Extended Range’ and its 60.48kWh battery.
In addition to the date confirmation, Todd’s LinkedIn post also included a 15-second teaser clip showcasing the Dolphin’s key exterior (alloy wheels, LED lighting) and interior features (widescreen infotainment touch-screen, compact digital driver’s display, leatherette upholstery and a full glass roof).
Registrations of interest are being taken via the BYD Australia website, but no other details are available at this stage.
Related: BYD Dolphin EV hatchback delayed
Related: BYD Dolphin 2022 Review – International
Related: BYD’s cheapest EV won’t be sub-$35K
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