A million sales: BYD is a hit with the Dolphin, but almost no one wants it here

One million copies sold for an electric car remains quite a marker. The BYD Dolphin has just reached this milestone, joining a small handful of electric models capable of saying the same: the Tesla Model 3 And Model Yof course, but also the Wuling Mini EV which is now close to two million units. For BYD, this is the third model to achieve such a feat after theAtto 3 and the tiny Seagull.

Launched in China in the summer of 2021, the Dolphin inaugurates what the group calls its Ocean series, a range with marine names intended to embody a new approach to electric vehicles. Its main advantage lies in a formidably aggressive price positioning: in China, it starts at 99,800 yuan, or around €13,000 for the basic version equipped with a 94 horsepower motor and a 45 kilowatt-hour battery offering 420 kilometers of autonomy according to the Chinese CLTC cycle. The higher version, with its 201 horsepower and its battery increased to 60.5 kilowatt hours, barely climbs to 129,800 yuan – less than €17,000 – for an announced 520 kilometers.

A global breakthrough that comes up against Europe

However, this global success masks a much more nuanced reality on a continental scale. If the Dolphin is a hit in South-East Asia, particularly in Thailand, and is very successful in Latin America (Mexico and Brazil in the lead), Europe remains a recalcitrant market. Over the first ten months of the year, barely 20,000 units found buyers on the Old Continent. An honest score which certainly makes it BYD’s second best seller behind the Seal U SUV, but which remains modest compared to the ambitions displayed.

In France, where it is currently priced at €34,990 in Comfort finish (reduced to €28,990 with a discount of €6,000 until the end of December 2025), the Dolphin faces a MG4 which offers even more competitive prices, as well as Renault Mégane E-Tech and to the Volkswagen ID.3 which enjoy solidly anchored brand legitimacy. Equipped with 204 horsepower, a 60.4 kilowatt-hour battery and a WLTP range of 427 kilometers, it nevertheless remains among the technical highlights of the segment.

The problem also comes from the product itself: to meet EuroNCAP safety requirements and obtain its five stars, BYD had to lengthen the snout of the European Dolphin by 17 centimeters. Result, an exterior size which does not result in a gain in habitability, nor in a generous trunk. Enough to put off European customers accustomed to scrutinizing every liter of interior volume.

Still, BYD does not intend to stop there. The group is increasing its industrial investments: a Hungarian factory capable of producing 300,000 vehicles per yeara planned Turkish site, and even a new production unit in Brazil for the local version called Dolphin Mini. An expansion which aims as much to circumvent customs duties as to establish the brand sustainably on all continents. A next generation of the Dolphin is also expected in Europe at the beginning of 2027. History, perhaps, to correct the situation.