This is the cheapest new BYD currently available

The Chinese manufacturer BYD is preparing its surge into the European market, scheduled for 2024. But it is already possible to place orders.

China is embarking on a crusade. After decades of importing cars from around the world, it now intends to reverse the trend and become the global leader in this sector. The early decision to switch entirely to electric vehicles is paying off today.

Sort of very large iPhones on wheels, electric cars remain within China’s technological scope, where workforce and raw materials are controlled. This is particularly why the prices are incredibly low compared to Europe. Suspicions of industrial dumping by the government have also led the European Commission to open an investigation, while France will bypass the issue with an ecological bonus in 2024 conditioned on the origin of the cars. The more they travel around the world on polluting ships to arrive, the more they will be sanctioned environmentally… and therefore in terms of bonuses.

No matter: BYD has already warned. With or without bonuses, its products will remain significantly cheaper than its European rivals. Take this Dolphin (dolphin in French), the city car with a somewhat hybrid size that fits between a Renault Zoe and a Megane EV.

Starting price, this BYD Dolphin begins at 33,990 euros before bonuses (if you order before December 31, 2023), which is 28,990 euros, in its Comfort trim. It’s not cheap, especially compared to the Chinese MG4, which is also 6,000 euros less, but let’s look at the features.

From the brochure, it is understood that two other more basic trims, equipped with a smaller battery, are coming: Active and Boost.

Powertrain

As suggested earlier, the Dolphin Comfort benefits from a “large” 60.4 kWh battery and a combined WLTP range of 427 km. The homologated consumption is 12 kWh/100 km. It’s better to expect around 350 km in real-world conditions, which is already a good performance.

While the Active and Boost versions will have respectively 70 kW (95 hp) and 130 kW (176 hp), the Comfort trim rises to 150 kW (203 hp). Perhaps not a necessary level of power for daily use, to be honest. We would have liked faster charging capabilities: up to 88 kW on AC, 11 kW on DC.

The 0 to 100 km/h acceleration is completed in 7.0 seconds and the top speed is limited to 160 km/h.

Exterior

BYD adopts Tesla’s industrial pragmatism: very few variants and options, to avoid confusing the customer… and the production lines. Even in its entry-level Comfort trim, the look is already impressive.

Four metallic colors are offered, with no extra cost: gray, off-white, violet, and pink. The 17-inch two-tone alloy wheels are also standard. The front and rear headlights are LED.

Interior

The same principle applies: no options available, no customization or upholstery variants. Otherwise, the equipment is abundant:

automatic headlights
rear windows tinted
folding and heated side mirrors
vegan faux leather upholstery
electric driver seat with 6 adjustments and heating
electric passenger seat with 4 adjustments and heating
4 electric windows
wireless smartphone charger
12.8-inch rotatable touchscreen
GPS navigation
6-speaker Hi-Fi system
4G connectivity (1GB/month for 10 years)
360° camera
front and rear parking assist
heat pump
adaptive cruise control

Conclusion

We have not yet seen the full-fledged commercial offensive from BYD, which will fully reveal itself in 2024. But already, it is time to update your mental software: BYD is on the verge of becoming the world’s leading electric car manufacturer, surpassing Tesla. It is therefore not an obscure new Asian arrival betting on low cost, otherwise its bankruptcy would have already been declared.

Mobiwisy strongly recommends waiting before succumbing to a BYD: prices are expected to drop dramatically in 2024…

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