BYD not looking at a $25,000 EV for Australia

BYD recently slashed the cost of entry to its Dolphin electric vehicle (EV) range to $29,990 before on-road costs, making it Australia’s first EV under $30k… but don’t expect anything cheaper to come.

“We’re not going lower,” Luke Todd, the managing director and executive chairman of BYD’s local distributor EVDirect, told CarExpert.

“I think the price of $29,990 is the sharpest the current technology and the current environment allows us to do.”

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While he acknowledged he “would love to see a product under $25,000”, he also said he wants all BYD vehicles here to come with a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

BYD offers a smaller electric hatchback in China than the Dolphin called the Seagull. This is sold in some export markets as the Dolphin Mini, a nameplate BYD filed to protect in Australia in 2023.

“People ask when is the Seagull coming, and the reality is it’s not built to be able to achieve the Australian five-star [safety] rating right now,” said Mr Todd.

The Chinese-market Seagull has no active safety technology available, while some versions even lack front-side airbags.

These omissions would make a five-star ANCAP safety rating – something enjoyed by the Dolphin, Seal, Sealion 6 and Atto 3 – impossible to achieve.

The Seagull range in China opens at just 69,800 Yuan, or around A$15,000. The Dolphin range, in contrast, opens at 99,800 Yuan, or around A$22,000, though it’s worth noting the base model there lacks many of the features of the local-spec Essential.

BYD’s smallest car measures just 3780mm long, 1715mm wide and 1540mm tall on a 2500mm wheelbase, making it 185mm longer than a Kia Picanto on a 100mm longer wheelbase.

It features a 55kW/135Nm electric motor and either a 30.08kWh battert that supports 30kW DC charging, or a 38.88kWh battery that supports 40kW DC charging, with CLTC range figures of 305km and 405km respectively.

While there are various electric micro cars sold in China by the likes of Geely and Wuling, none have come here.

An electric micro car will soon reach our shores, however, from Korea: the Hyundai Inster.

It’s expected to slide in at under $40,000 before on-road costs which, while making it Hyundai’s cheapest EV here yet, shows just how sharply Chinese brands like BYD can undercut rivals from other countries.