On July 18, 2024, Chinese brand BYD officially introduced three electric car models named Dolphin, Seal, and Atto 3 to the Vietnamese market. Among these three models, the BYD Dolphin is the smallest and most affordable. Specifically, this model only has one version, and its price starts at 659 million VND.
The BYD Dolphin electric car was just launched in Vietnam, with a price starting from 659 million VND.
So, what are the specifications and features of the newly launched BYD Dolphin in Vietnam? Let’s find out more in this article.
Exterior Design of the BYD Dolphin
Similar to the other two models of the BYD brand, the Dolphin is also developed based on the e-Platform 3.0 framework. The BYD Dolphin has dimensions of 4,125 mm in length, 1,770 mm in width, and 1,570 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,700 mm. Thus, the size of this car is similar to a B-segment car, but its wheelbase is as long as a C-segment car.
Additionally, this Chinese electric car has a ground clearance of 120 mm and a minimum turning radius of 5.25 mm. With these dimensions, the BYD Dolphin is an excellent choice for urban areas that are crowded and narrow.
The Dolphin is an electric car under BYD’s Ocean product line. Therefore, it’s no surprise that its design is inspired by the ocean.
The highlight of the BYD Dolphin lies in its front light design, inspired by the movement of dolphins. It also features a continuous LED daytime running light strip that runs below the closed grille. The hood of this electric car is short and flat. The front bumper comes with a wide central air intake and side vents.
A closer look at the front design of the BYD Dolphin.
The side profile of the BYD Dolphin impresses with its prominent character lines. The mirror caps, door handles, and roof-mounted shark fin antenna are all painted in the body color. Meanwhile, the side pillars are painted black, creating a floating roof effect. Inside the wheel arches are 16-inch alloy wheels with a stylish two-tone, five-spoke design.
At the rear, you’ll find sleek LED taillights that stretch across both sides. The rear bumper has a design similar to the front bumper.
The BYD Dolphin is a compact electric car.
In the Vietnamese market, the BYD Dolphin boasts impressive exterior features such as LED lighting from front to back, automatic headlights with manual height adjustment, manually folding/electrically adjustable side mirrors with turn signals, and a rear defroster. The side mirrors also come with heating and auto-dimming functions.
Customers in Vietnam can choose from three exterior color options: Coral Pink, Sand White, and Urban Gray.
Interior Design of the BYD Dolphin
The BYD Dolphin offers a spacious 5-seat cabin with two rows of seats, thanks to its large wheelbase. The dashboard features metal decorative details that wrap horizontally around the air vents, adding a stylish touch to the interior.
The seats of the BYD Dolphin are upholstered in synthetic leather and offer three color options: pink and gray, brown and black, or gray and black. The driver’s seat is a 6-way manually adjustable seat, while the front passenger seat is a 4-way manually adjustable one. The luggage compartment has a standard capacity of 345 liters, which can be increased to 1,310 liters by folding down the rear seats.
The BYD Dolphin’s interior in pink and gray.
In front of the driver is a leather-wrapped steering wheel with integrated function buttons and a 5-inch digital instrument cluster. Alongside is a 12.8-inch central touchscreen that can rotate 90 degrees to be used in portrait or landscape orientation. This screen supports wired Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, voice control (in English), over-the-air software updates, and 4G connectivity.
Additionally, the BYD Dolphin in Vietnam comes with two USB ports in the front, one USB port in the rear, a 6-speaker audio system, a 12V power outlet, automatic climate control, a PM2.5 air filter, manually adjustable side mirrors, and one-touch up/down power windows with anti-pinch for the driver’s side.
Performance of the BYD Dolphin
The BYD Dolphin is equipped with a front-mounted electric motor that delivers a maximum output of 94 horsepower and 180 Nm of torque. Thanks to this, the car can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 150 km/h.
The electric motor is paired with a BYD Blade battery pack that has a capacity of 44.9 kWh, offering a range of up to 405 km on a single charge. The car supports both slow AC charging at 6.6 kW and fast DC charging at 60 kW. With the fast charger, it takes about 30 minutes to charge the battery from 30% to 80%.
The BYD Dolphin can travel up to 405 km on a full charge.
Unfortunately, BYD’s strategy does not focus on building charging stations like VinFast. Instead, BYD will collaborate with major charging station partners, similar to its approach in other global markets. This means that, in addition to home charging, BYD car owners can also charge their vehicles at public charging stations or the brand’s dealerships.
Moreover, the car has a mobile charging station feature with a V2L function that supports a power output of up to 2.2 kWh. This feature turns the car into a mobile energy source, capable of powering most electrical devices.
Safety Features of the BYD Dolphin
Unfortunately, the safety features of the BYD Dolphin are quite basic. Unlike many Chinese cars, it does not come with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). Instead, it only offers an indirect tire pressure monitoring system, hydraulic brake assist, traction control, electronic brake-force distribution, hill-start assist, regenerative braking, cruise control, three rear radars, a 360-degree camera, and disc brakes on all four wheels. In terms of airbags, the car is equipped with two front airbags, two side airbags, and curtain airbags for both the front and rear seats.
Conclusion
Overall, with its unremarkable features, unattractive price, relatively unknown brand, Chinese origin, and lack of charging infrastructure, the BYD Dolphin faces an uphill battle to win over Vietnamese consumers. At present, this car is more suitable for those who can charge it at home.
As the number of dealerships increases, so will the number of charging stations available to BYD car owners, making it easier for the brand to attract Vietnamese customers. According to plans, BYD will officially open about 10 showrooms in July 2024 in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Ba Ria Vung Tau, Thanh Hoa, Quang Ninh, Bac Giang, and other locations. Within three years, BYD Vietnam aims to develop a network of 100 showrooms nationwide.
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