BYD Seagull could come to Australia after all – as the Dolphin Mini

Australia could have a new ruler of the budget EV market by the end of the year and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it looks like it will come from BYD.

The flourishing Chinese auto brand confirmed on Tuesday it would release the Seal U mid-size SUV and three other new BYD models in Australia by the end of this year, one of which we know to be the recently spied but still unnamed plug-in hybrid ute.

That leaves two mystery models still unaccounted for, but a recent Australian trademark filing and European new-model launch has shined some light on the subject, making the two models likely new models the Seagull light hatch and the all-new Tang large SUV.

Yes, BYD Australia boss Luke Todd ruled out the Seagull for our market in April last year, but plans change and the brand has just filed a local trademark application for a stylised ‘Dolphin Mini’ nameplate – the export name for the Seagull.

While securing a model name locally is far from confirmation of an impending model launch, the filing of a stylised nameplate is a whole other kettle of fish as it suggests a manufacturer is preparing promotional material and official badging, both of which goes hand in hand with a market release.

A quick Google search reveals the BYD Dolphin Mini has just entered the Brazilian and Uruguay markets priced from the equivalent of $30,800 plus on-road costs, and will be offered in both countries with two powertrain options as it is in China.

A circa-$31,000 starting price for the Dolphin Mini would indisputably hand it the crown as Australia’s cheapest electric vehicle, undercutting its bigger BYD Dolphin hatch sibling by the best part of $8000 and, crucially, the upcoming Hyundai Casper small electric SUV, which is tipped to start somewhere around the $35,000 mark.

For the uninitiated, the Seagull/Dolphin Mini measures just 3780mm long, 1715mm wide and 1540mm wide, and features either a 30kWh or 38kWh battery pack paired to 55kW and 75kW motors respectively.

The gruntier system is good for 130km/h, while the most efficient combination yields a CLTC driving range of up to 405km – about 320km against the WLTP cycle.

BYD has had the Dolphin Mini’s exterior design intellectually secure in Australia since January last year and the ‘BYD Seagull’ nameplate since April, while this new ‘Dolphin Mini’ typography was officially received by IP Australia on February 8.

As for the third-generation BYD Tang, the export-spec large electric SUV will be shown for the first time at the Geneva motor show later this month, which aligns with the recent progressions of the nameplate’s Australian trademark application.

Describing the European-spec Tang in a recent press release, BYD said the “imposing” seven-seater would offer a maximum WLTP driving range of up to 530km and has already garnered a five-star NCAP safety rating.

The final piece of evidence the Tang could be coming Down Under is the fact that BYD Australia has long promised a large SUV of some kind to be positioned above the compact Atto3 and the upcoming Seal U mid-sizer.

That would see BYD have essentially every major mainstream segment covered by the end of year: small car (Dolphin), compact SUV (Atto3), medium passenger (Seal), mid-size SUV (Seal U), large SUV (Tang) and dual-cab pick-up… plus the budget-friendly Dolphin Mini.

For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales' Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au