All-electric five-door hatch is expected to be priced around R400 000, thereby making it one of the country's cheapest EVs.
Set to possibly become South Africa’s cheapest electric vehicle when it goes on-sale later this month, BYD provided the first official glimpse of the Dolphin Surf at the Kyalami Festival of Motoring this past weekend.
Originally thought to be called Atto 1 in-line with the step-up Atto 3, the Shenzhen based new energy vehicle giant confirmed last month that its smallest model will wear the same moniker as in Europe rather than the former.<
What to expect
Known as the Seagull in China and Dolphin Mini in Latin and South America, the Dolphin Surf measures 3 990 mm long, 1 720 mm wide and 1 590 mm tall with its wheelbase being 2 500 mm.
Riding on BYD’s e-Platform 3.0, the Dolphin Surf offers a choice of two battery packs in its home market, though for the moment, it remains unknown whether both or a single will be made available locally.
In base form, the 30-kWh battery makes 65 kW, while the bigger 43.2-kWh comes in two states of tune; 65 kW and 115 kW.
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For the smallest battery pack, BYD claims a range of 220 km and DC charging support up to 65 kW.
Accommodating charging up to 85 kW, the bigger battery’s respective ranges amount to 310 km and 322 km.
At the festival, no details about specification were revealed, however, the displayed model was noted to have the rotating 10.1-inch infotainment system, a digital instrument cluster, multi-function steering wheel, cruise control, a wireless smartphone charging pad, climate control and voice recognition.
‘Below R400 000’
Tipped to be priced below R400 000, thereby making it cheaper than South Africa’s current most affordable EV, the Dayun Yuehu S5 priced at R399 900, the Dolphin Surf will make its formal market launch on 16 September as which point, more details, including pricing, will emerge..
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