BYD Dolphin EV on sale in Australia from June 22, pricing due this week

June 13: BYD Dolphin name confirmed, Australian launch set for June 22

Chinese EV company BYD has confirmed through its local distributor EVDirect that the compact BYD Dolphin EV will go on sale in Australia later this month.

Up to now, the brand has not been particularly communicative with media on the Dolphin's coming, but a post to the LinkedIn page of EVDirect boss Luke Todd confirms both the Dolphin name, and the date of its launch: June 22.

Previously speculated to be named Atto 2 in Australia, signifying its size and range position beneath the popular Atto 3 SUV, the Dolphin is expected to be Australia's most affordable EV when it arrives.

Right now, that title belongs to another Chinese EV: the GWM Ora hatch, a direct rival to the Dolphin. Although its drive-away price varies by state – as it always does, given the different on-road costs around the country – but in the Northern Territory, the Ora is priced from $44,490 drive-away. Its highest drive-away price is in Western Australia, at $47,891.

Watch for full pricing and details on the Dolphin to come next week, if not sooner – and keep scrolling here to catch up on everything we know so far.

Mike Stevens

March 23: BYD Dolphin spied in Australia again

The 2023 BYD Dolphin has been spotted again, and this time we’ve nabbed a much better look at the new EV’s cabin.

Alex Inwood

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Photo: Cristian Brunelli

Snapped by long-time Wheels photographer Cristian Brunelli in Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula, the lightly camouflaged test car was parked at the local skate park where it was replenishing its battery on one of the local fast chargers.

It appears to be the same car we spotted yesterday in Albury, which is about 450km away from Sorrento, but these shots give us a much closer look at the all-new small EV.

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Photo: Cristian Brunelli

The test car is right-hand drive and the cabin features a large shelf for your phone below the rotating central touch screen. The seats are also electric and appear to be finished in the same synthetic leather-like material used in the larger BYD Atto 3.

BYD is gearing up to launch the Dolphin in Australia later this year, where it’s likely to be badged as the Atto 2. Before then, though, the car will launch in Thailand, which is another important right-hand-drive market for BYD, and the company has today confirmed it will start at 799,999 baht.

That converts to around AUD $35,000.

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Photo: Cristian Brunelli

March 22: BYD Dolphin spied in Australia

An eagle-eyed Wheels reader has spotted a barely camouflaged BYD Dolphin in Albury, NSW.

John Law

Following several delays, the BYD Dolphin – a Toyota Yaris-sized EV that's expected to start below $40K – is gearing up for a mid-2023 Australian release.

It's anticipated to ditch the marine-inspired name for a more conventional Atto 2 moniker. Normal name aside, it's a sharp looking vehicle with a full-width LED signature at the rear – just like the Atto 3 – and intricately-shaped door and side details reminiscent of a Hyundai Tucson.

The Dolphin/Atto 2 will slip in below the Chinese carmaker's first release in Australia (the quirky Atto 3), and be followed by a larger sedan known as the Seal in China.

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Images courtesy of Jamie Flegg

Although it's possible that the Dolphin is undergoing local suspension tuning, it's unlikely. Instead, this Dolphin's pilot is probably testing in-car connectivity, charging infrastructure, and safety aids further afield from its previous Metropolitan sightings.

The Dolphin/Atto 2 scores the same Blade battery tech as larger models, and is expected to offer around 300 kilometres of driving range from a circa-45kWh battery pack.

Wheels has contacted BYD's local distributor, EVDirect, for further release and naming information on the Dolphin/Atto 2 ahead of a launch later this year.

Our original story, below, continues unchanged.

November 30: BYD Dolphin and Seal delayed

BYD's local distributor has confirmed the Seal and Dolphin EVs will become available to order later than planned, with 2023 now the target.

Get all the details, and quotes, at the link below.

November 27: BYD Dolphin spotted in Sydney

The upcoming 2023 BYD Dolphin electric hatch, confirmed for Australia, has been spied in Sydney this week by Twitter user Lachlan Smith.

Full Australian details are still to come, but earlier discussions with Wheels Media in August saw Luke Todd, managing director of BYD's Australian distributor EVDirect, confirm that pre-orders will begin before the end of 2022.

Given it is almost December, those plans may have changed, and we will update this story as more details become available.

What is the BYD Dolphin?

As reported previously, the BYD Dolphin is a small Yaris-sized hatch.

Although not confirmed, it is expected to debut as Australia's first electric vehicle to be available at a price point in the $30,000 range.

Continue reading for further details on BYD's model expansion in Australia.

Peter Anderson

August 2, 2022: BYD Dolphin hatch and Seal sedan confirmed for Australia

Pre-orders to commence later this year.

EVDirect, the local third-party distributor for Chinese electric vehicle brand BYD, has confirmed the BYD Dolphin hatchback and BYD Seal sedan will arrive in the first half of 2023.

Speaking with Wheels following a media event at Eager Automotive's 'Automall' in Brisbane's Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, EVDirect managing director Luke Todd reiterated that pre-orders for both models will commence by the end of 2022.

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BYD vehicles will be available for purchase online or at select physical dealerships operated by Eagers Automotive, with the Atto 3 small electric SUV set to arrive locally in the coming weeks.

Other models, including an electric dual-cab ute and large SUV, are tipped to arrive in Australia in the coming years.

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Todd said the company expects a production capacity for each of 3000 per month, which is anticipated to be filled based on current demand for the Atto 3.

However, the units are likely to be spread out to customers over several months, with monthly VFACTS data measured by vehicle registrations – but still comfortably placing BYD within the Top 20 brands.

As reported, the BYD Seal is rival for the top-selling Tesla Model 3, with sales kicking off this week in China. The smaller Dolphin hatchback is roughly the size of a Toyota Yaris and is poised to become Australia's cheapest electric vehicle, kicking off in the low- to mid-$30,000 range.

For further information, check out our previous interview with EVDirect managing director Luke Todd below.

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April 5: BYD plans aggressive model expansion in Australia

BYD’s Australian distributor, EVDirect, is planning an aggressive expansion in the local market as the Blade battery-powered Atto 3 gets a strong start in online orders despite no cars arriving until at least July.

Speaking to Wheels during our time with the left-hand-drive evaluation Atto 3, EVDirect CEO Luke Todd outlined BYD’s plans over the next 18 months.

As expected, the Dolphin hatchback will be available for pre-order later in 2022, although he expects a new name for the small car.

After a year of speculation that the Atto 3 would start in the mid-$30,000s, it’s likely that the Mazda 2-sized Dolphin will be the one to dip into that more affordable price bracket.

UPDATE: We've now driven the new electric BYD Atto 3 SUV. Read and watch our review at the link below.

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Following on from that, the Seal sports sedan – yet to be officially unveiled, but already caught by spy cameras – Todd also expects a new name and pre-orders by the end of the year. The unveiling is likely to occur during April, with Chinese market cars featuring single and dual motor variants.

The Seal shares the Atto’s e-Platform 3.0 architecture, as well as its Blade battery technology, and is positioned in the same sort of space as the much-loved, but under-bought, Kia Stinger.

Possibly the most enticing prospect in the BYD line-up is the medium-sized dual cab ute, which doesn’t yet have a name.

“It’s real,” said Mr Todd. “It’s under development and I’ve seen it. We’d be looking to open pre-orders for it in 2023 for deliveries in late 2023.”

An electric ute to go up against Ranger, HiLux and Triton would no doubt be wildly popular, particularly as fuel prices hover well over the two-dollar mark and the obvious benefits of a power supply on wheels would be very appealing – not just to tradies, but a variety of mobile businesses.

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Todd also explained why the Atto 3 would, initially at least, be largely unchanged from its home market specification. There won’t be a local Australian market tune for the suspension, steering or brakes – save for some minor changes that aren’t hard to integrate into the dedicated right-hand-drive production line.

“We have a limited scope to modify the car, but we make changes where we can. This is balanced against the high production we want, so we want to get the balance right.”

A lot has happened since the Atto 3’s launch in Sydney with high demand for the compact SUV that has prompted the fast-tracking of expansion plans.

To “build robustness” in the local operation, EVDirect is looking to raise $200 million via a green bond. A green bond is funded by both private and institutional investors and made available only to sustainable businesses that meet certain criteria.

“There are seventeen UN sustainability pillars and we tick almost every one of them.”

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EVDirect’s servicing partnership with MyCar has already expanded beyond the original eight locations to a planned 30. MyCar – formerly known as Kmart Tyre and Auto – had lined up a selection of sites to deliver and service BYD cars, but the pre-orders suggested more would be required and further sites are under evaluation as MyCar itself builds new locations.

Todd also confirmed a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed with Eagers Automotive, a publicly-listed car dealership network, but said he was unable to comment further due to rules around public disclosure that could affect the company’s share price.

BYD’s first publicly-available model will start arriving in July at the rate of 1500 per month, with the capacity to expand to double that number if required.

Read and watch our review here.