Ahead of the launch of the BYD Dolphin later this month on July 27, the electric vehicle (EV) has been sighted in the wild at IOI Mall Puchong. This example was sighted wearing a generous amount of camouflage to disguise its identity, but the general shape of the car and the phrase “A New Wave Is Coming” on the sides are obvious giveaways – the latter was used for BYD Cars Malaysia’s teaser.

Based on these photos, the Malaysian-spec Dolphin will be offered with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), as suggested by the sensor near the rear-view mirror. A model-specific Linglong Comfort Master tyres wrapped around 17-inch wheels are also seen, with the former having little dolphin symbols on the sidewall, which is nice quirk.

The wrapped car was photographed next to the previous-generation Toyota Vios, which provides a better sense of its size. Official figures place the Dolphin at 4,150 mm long, 1,770 mm wide, 1,570 mm tall and with a wheelbase of 2,700 mm. Disregarding length because the Vios is a sedan whereas the Dolphin is a hatchback, the EV is wider by 40 mm.

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 its narrower, not as tall and is down on wheelbase.

Rumoured to have a starting price of under RM100,000, the Dolphin would be in contention to be the most affordable EV in Malayia if true. At present, the Neta V lays claim to the title with an asking price of RM99,800. For context, the Dolphin has already gone on sale in Thailand, where it starts from 699,999 (RM92,975) for the Standard Range, while the higher-spec Extended Range goes for 859,999 baht (RM114,205).

Over there, the Standard Range features a Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with an energy capacity of 44.92 kWh that offers up to 410 km of range following the NEDC standard. The battery powers a front-mounted electric motor rated at 94 PS and 180 Nm of torque, which is good for a 0-100 km/h time of 12.3 seconds.

Meanwhile, the Extended Range has a more powerful electric motor with 204 PS and 310 Nm which is juiced by a 60.48-kWh battery providing up to 490 km on a full charge. Both variants support vehicle-to-load (V2L) and AC charging at a maximum of 7 kW, but there’s a difference when it comes to peak DC charging rate: the Standard Range will do 60 kW while the Extended Range can handle 80 kW.

It’s not confirmed what variants of the Dolphin will be offered, so we’ll have to wait until launch day to find out. Are you looking forward to it? How much do you think it will be priced at? If you’re interested, you can already register your interest.

GALLERY: BYD Dolphin EV at the 2023 Bangkok International Motor Show

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Tags: BYD Dolphin