BYD plans to bring its most affordable offering in the South American market with a base price of just $20,100 (99,800 BRL). According to Car News China, the Chinese electric vehicle giant will launch the Seagull as the “Dolphin Mini” globally.
Seagull to hit the South American market
BYD only introduced the new Seagull electric car in May 2023, but it has already advanced as its most popular model.
According to the Chinese automaker, BYD Seagull’s sales surpassed 280,000 units in its home market alone since its launch. Despite that short amount of time, It beat its siblings, Dolphin and Yuan Plus (Atto 3 overseas).
As mentioned, the BYD Seagull (Dolphin Mini overseas) is now set to disrupt South America with its very affordable pricing. Its imminent arrival will undoubtedly aid BYD in boosting its sales this year as it seeks to beat American giant Tesla once and for all.
Technical details
The BYD Seagull also referred to as the Dolphin Mini is a 5-door, 4-seater electric hatch that rides on the e-platform 3.0.
It offers two variants in the Chinese market, including the entry-level with a 30.08 kWh battery pack and the top-tier with a 38.88 kWh battery.
The base variant enables a CLTC-rated driving range of up to 190 miles (305 km), while the larger battery pack delivers 251 miles (405 km).
BYD reportedly unveiled both variants in Uruguay, going by the names “Dolphin Mini EV300” and “Dolphin Mini EV400.” The $21,990 base variant offers an NEDC-rated range of up to 300 km (186 miles), while the $23,990 EV400 delivers a 400 km (248 miles) NEDC range.
Notably, the automaker’s official website in Uraguay still displays the electric car as the Seagull. However, the front plate of the model displays “BYD Dolphin Mini,” as you can observe in the photos.
Pricing and availability
Recent reports suggest that BYD plans to launch the Dolphin Mini officially by the end of this month.
Dealers are apparently determining base prices for the new affordable BYD EV, starting at 99,800 BRL ($20,100) to 114,800 BRL ($23,200) for the longer-range version.
It will sit behind the BYD Dolphin, currently the brand’s most popular model in the market. Considering its pricing, it will become the cheapest offering from BYD in the South American market to date.
BYD has yet to announce if it plans to bring the Dolphin Mini to other foreign markets like Europe.
