The BYD Dolphin has received a host of mid-life upgrades in its home market, with the small electric hatchback now featuring revised styling inside and out, faster charging, and an enhanced suite of safety technology.
In China, the facelifted Dolphin has officially debuted three months after images of its new design surfaced in local media, and we now know more about the changes under the skin.
It may be a while until we see it in Australia however, as BYD’s local representatives have previously said it could take 12 to 24 months for new vehicles in China to be developed for right-hand drive markets such as Australia.
In January, BYD announced it was discontinuing the Dolphin Dynamic in Australia, with a more affordable Essential variant – albeit with fewer features – replacing it. This suggests the current, pre-facelift Dolphin will be in showrooms for a while to come.
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The biggest changes to the Dolphin’s aesthetics have been to its front and rear bumpers, the former of which feature simplified trim on the outer edges and a tidier lower apron, while similar tweaks have been made at the back.
Excessive trim around the number plate surround and rear reflectors has also been removed, giving the Dolphin a much simpler and cleaner look at the rear.
The ‘Build Your Dreams’ script on the boot has also been traded for a simple BYD logo, though this is also illuminated.
In China, there’s a number of new wheel designs, measuring 16 and 17 inches.
The Chinese-market BYD Dolphin now measures only 10mm shorter than Australian examples, instead of 165mm shorter. Previously, a longer front end, designed to provide better protection in a crash, was exclusive to export models.
In the cabin, the Dolphin’s digital instrument display has grown to 8.8 inches, up from the 5.0 inches. The central rotating 12.8-inch infotainment touchscreen is an unchanged size but now also features 5G connectivity.
Additional interior changes include the gear shifter being moved from the centre console and onto the steering column – an update also made to the Atto 3 SUV – while the steering wheel design is largely unchanged, apart from the addition of a few more buttons.
The moving of the shifter controls has led to a new array of other control buttons towards the top of the centre console.
The updated Dolphin has also been equipped with the latest God’s Eye advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), which uses three cameras behind the windscreen, four surround-view cameras, five long-range cameras, five millimetre-wave radars, and 12 ultrasonic radars.
Under the skin, there are no changes to the two electric motors offered in Australia – a 70kW and 180Nm motor, and a 150kW and 310Nm unit – however a third 130kW and 290Nm option has joined the lineup.
The Dolphin’s 45kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack can now be charged at up to 80kW, while the larger 60.5kWh unit can accept 110kW, representing improvements of 20kW and 30kW, respectively.
BYD has also fitted the Dolphin with a new heat pump, set to bring increased efficiency, though according to the brand’s Chinese website range remains 420km on the CLTC cycle with the smallest battery and least powerful electric motor.
This drops to 410km with the new 130kW electric motor, and increases to 520km with the larger battery and 150kW motor.
When the updated Dolphin comes to Australia, expect an increase on the $29,990 before on-road costs starting price of the current model.
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