Byd Dolphin Surf: the affordable electric city car that wants to conquer Europe
Byd has become the second electric car manufacturer in the world behind Tesla by offering affordable models, first on the Chinese market. The brand is now present in Europe, but the prices it practices there are far from as interesting as in its domestic market, with a positioning aimed at competing with our generalist manufacturers, or even the premium sphere.
However, Byd is preparing the arrival of a low -cost electric car in Europe. Thus, the brand will market its cheapest model with us, the Seagull, confirmed Stella Li, vice-president of byd. This mini-city center, launched in early 2023 in China, will take the name of Dolphin Surf on the old continent, further reinforcing the ambiguity of naming between the different byd models.
It is all the more surprising that the Seagull (3.78 m long) does not really look like the Dolphin (4.29 m long), if not by the dilapidation of its line. In terms of design, this modern TATA nano TATA seems to have been launched much longer than two years ago.
A price of around € 20,000 at the entry level?
This obsolete style is easily excused by the Chinese price of the Seagull, of only ¥ 69,800 at the entry level, just under € 9,000. However, of course should not expect such a price in Europe. According to Stella Li, the Dolphin Surf is not intended to be the cheapest electric car on the market, but rather targets the best value for money. We can therefore estimate its price at around € 20,000, the one excluding bonus of the next Renault Twingo Electric at the entrance. Dacia Spring, currently the cheapest electric car From the market, starts € 16,900 and will be replaced by a second generation promised at less than € 18,000 at the entrance, excluding state aid.
But it may also be in the Renault 5 E-Tech (soon available in a € 25,000 version excluding bonus) that this Dolphin Surf will face. The interior of the Chinese version Seagull thus seems treated, at least visually, and the city car does not skimp on the equipment. It can thus receive heated front seats and even with electric settings for the driver, while a 10.1 -inch rotary touch screen is present in the center of his dashboard.
If the Seagull is a four-seater in China, its Brazilian version, called Dolphin Mini (you are starting to understand the Meli-Mélo des nomenclatures byd), leaves the choice with a five-seater version. It remains to be seen what configuration will be retained for Europe.
In China, the Seagull is offered with a Blade (LFP) battery of 30.08 or 38.88 kWh. It then offers 305 or 405 km of autonomy respectively, but according to the very optimistic Chinese approval cycle CLTC. Its electric motor develops 55 kW (75 hp) and 135 Nm of torque. The model's technical sheet could or may not evolve with its arrival in Europe, as well as different settings of its chassis. It will also have to adopt the various driving aids imposed by the European standard as standard GSR2.
We will know more on May 21, 2025, scheduled date of the presentation of the Dolphin Surf on the European market. Or may not be produced in Europe from its launch with us, in the byd factory in Hungary currently under construction, which would allow the manufacturer to avoid EU sanctions On electric cars produced in China.
