SHENZHEN: For BYD, it seems there's no way to go but up. The Chinese automaker marked a major milestone when it celebrated the production of its 500,000th Dolphin on Sept 22.
The all-electric Dolphin 5-door hatchback was launched in Brazil in June 2023 and sold over 4,000 units within just two months, setting a new record for electric vehicle (EV) sales in Brazil, making it the best-selling EV in August.
In Thailand, the Dolphin achieved fifth place in EV sales in its first month on the market, delivering 481 units.
As the first model built on the e-Platform 3.0, designed for pure electric vehicles, the Dolphin prioritises aerodynamics, rigidity, and cabin space.
Featuring an integrated 8-in-1 electric powertrain, the vehicle achieves substantial improvements in both safety and range.
Adopting the "Ocean Aesthetics" design language, the Dolphin draws inspiration from nature, combining curvy emotional elements of waves with strong charismatic lines for a dynamic and exuberant overall style.
The interior of the Dolphin reflects its eco-friendly ethos, with sustainable vegan leather adorning the integrated sports seats, offering both long-distance comfort and strong lateral support with ocean-inspired aesthetics.
Operating in 400 cities across 70 countries and regions on six continents, BYD took a significant step in 2022 by discontinuing the production of ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles to focus on BEVs (battery electric vehicles) and PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles).
BYD Auto is the world’s first carmaker to stop the production of fossil-fueled vehicles to focus on making plug-ins and electric vehicles. It has reained its lead in new energy passenger vehicle sales in China for 10 years in a row.
In July, the Dolphin was launched in Malaysia in two variants, namely the entry-level Dynamic Standard Range at a retail price of RM99,900 and the Premium Extended Range variant at RM124,900.
The base variant uses a 44.9kWh BYD Blade battery to power up its permanent magnet synchronous motor, producing 70kW and 180Nm of torque, and dedicates itself to the front wheels.
The Dynamic Standard Range can sprint from 0 to 100kph in 12.3 seconds and can go up to 340km (WLTP).
The higher-specced Premium Extended Range variant sports a higher capacity battery 60.48kWh BYD Blade Battery which allows it to travel further - up to 427km (WLTP), while having 150kW and 310Nm of torque.
The accoutrements that accompany the entry-level Dolphin are LEDs for the front and rear lights as well as powered external mirrors with power-fold function.
Inside, the cabin features an Ocean Aesthetic interior design concept that has its upholstery wrapped in faux leather while the digital screens include a sole 5.0-inch digital instrument cluster for the driver and a rotatable (panoramic or portrait) 12.8-inch infotainment touchscreen with an inbuilt satellite navigation system that powers the six-speaker sound system.
For safety, the Dolphin is able to provide plenty of peace of mind with its inclusion of six airbags, anti-lock braking system, front and rear seatbelt pre-tensioners, tyre-pressure monitoring system, intelligent power brake system, electric parking brake, electronic stability control, traction control, electronic brakeforce distribution and front (two) and rear (three) parking sensors.
Also included as standard is the advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) which include adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking system, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, predictive collision warning, rear collision warning, blindspot detection, rear cross-traffic alert and braking system, lane departure prevention, emergency lane-keeping assist and lane change collision warning.
