Before the debut of BYD Dolphin later this month on July 28, electric vehicles (EVs) have appeared at IOI Mall Puchong. This example is seen wearing a large amount of camouflage to conceal its identity, but the general shape of the vehicle and the phrase “New Wave is Coming” on either side are obvious gifts – the latter used for Teaser of BYD Cars Malaysia.
Based on these photos, the Malaysian version of the Dolphin will be equipped with an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), as suggested by the sensor near the rearview mirror. There are also model-specific Linglong Comfort Master tires wrapped around 17-inch wheels, where the front tires have small dolphin symbols on the sidewalls, which is an interesting point.
The wrapped car is pictured next to the previous generation Toyota Vios, which gives a better sense of its size. Official figures show that the Dolphin is 4,150 mm long, 1,770 mm wide, 1,570 mm high and has a wheelbase of 2,700 mm. Ignoring the length because the Vios is a sedan while the Dolphin is a hatchback, the EV is 40mm wider.
For a comparison involving something in hatchback territory, the Honda City Hatchback is 4,345 mm long, 1,748 mm wide, 1,488 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,600 mm. That makes it longer overall than the Dolphin, although it’s narrower, not as tall, and has a lower wheelbase.
Rumored to start at less than RM100,000, the Dolphin will compete to be the most affordable electric car in Malaysia if that’s true. Currently, the Neta Claim the title with an asking price of RM99,800. For context, the Dolphin has been sold in Thailandwith prices starting from 699,999 (RM92,975) for the Standard Range, while the higher-spec Extended Range is priced at 859,999 baht (RM114,205).
There, the Standard Range features a Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with an energy capacity of 44.92 kWh, providing a range of up to 410 km as per NEDC standards. The battery powers a front-mounted electric motor with a capacity of 94 hp and 180 Nm of torque, helping the car accelerate from 0-100 km / h in 12.3 seconds.
Meanwhile, the Extended Range has a more powerful electric motor with a capacity of 204 hp and 310 Nm of torque, powered by a 60.48 kWh battery pack that provides a range of up to 490 km after each full charge. Both variants support vehicle-to-load (V2L) and AC charging at up to 7 kW, but there is a difference when it comes to peak DC charging speeds: The standard range will hit 60 kW while the Range will hit 60 kW. micro expander can handle 80 kW.
It’s not confirmed what variants of Dolphin will be made available, so we’ll have to wait until the launch date to find out. Are you looking forward to that? How much do you think it will cost? If you are interested, you can subscribed to your hobby.
LIBRARY: BYD Dolphin EV at the 2023 Bangkok International Motor Show
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