The compact-sized BYD Dolphin came out last summer and was the company’s first production car to make use of a Gen.3 modular platform known as e3.0, which combined 800V charging with numerous other improvements. The car became a hit with over 230,000 units sold so far and another 25,000 selling every month, but BYD still felt it needed a minor refresh.
You can watch the video for the
pre-facelift version and compare it to the new car in the photos here. As you
can see, the exterior modifications are small and nuanced. Most of the novelty
can be found on the rear bumper, the wheels and the paint coat choices. The
tailgate window now has a wiper again – the concept had it as well, but BYD
ditched it in production to cut costs.
Inside, the rear bench now comes with a
sectioned back. It folds down in a 60:40 ratio and features a foldable armrest
in the middle. Front seat heating, front passenger seat power adjustments and
automatic power windows are all available as paid options. The entry spec with
a 30.7-kWh battery, 301 kilometers of range and a basic multimedia system with
a 10-inch display is no longer on sale. Instead, all versions now ship with a
larger LiFePo4 battery rated at 44.9 kWh and a more advanced multimedia system
with a 12.8-inch touchscreen.
The entry-level electric motor rated at 95
PS and 180 Nm remains available and benefits from
software calibrations. As a result, it is now NEDC-rated for 420 kilometers of
range instead of 405. The top spec still has 177 PS and 290
Nm of torque, and covers the same 401 km as before the update.
The prices for the old BYD Dolphin ranged
from US$ 14,700 to 18,800. But now that the base trim level is gone, you can
expect to pay US$ 16,800–19,600 depending on the version.
