KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — The highly anticipated BYD Dolphin is launching in Malaysia this coming Thursday. If you want to get a clearer look at the size of this compact fully electric hatchback, the Dolphin is currently on display at EVx in Setia City Convention Centre this weekend. You don’t get the see the car in its full glory as the Dolphin is heavily wrapped in blue plastic.

Bookings for the BYD Dolphin EV are already open in Malaysia and you can secure your unit with a refundable RM1,500 deposit. If you’re among the first 70 to place a booking, customers will receive RM1,000 vouchers for V-Kool tinting and Dodo Cat Mat. This promo is only offered at EVx on 22nd and 23rd July 2023.

In terms of availability, we are told that deliveries for BYD Dolphin are expected to start sometime around the mid to end of August 2023. If you’re among the lucky few who managed to book early, you might be able to drive your Dolphin EV just in time for Merdeka Day. Like the bigger BYD Atto 3, the Dolphin will come in two variant options.

Interestingly, the base standard range Dolphin is said to be priced below RM110,000, which would certainly give the Neta V a run for its money. Meanwhile, the higher extended-range Dolphin will be priced well below the BYD Atto 3 which is currently priced from RM149,800 for the standard range model.

As a reference, the BYD Dolphin Standard range in Thailand is priced at THB699,999 (about RM91,834) while the Extended range model is priced at THB859,999 (about RM112,857). Affordable EVs in Thailand are noticeably cheaper than in Malaysia due to their additional subsidies on top of their tax incentives for EVs.

To recap on the specs, the base model Dolphin gets a single motor that pushes 70kW (95hp) and 180Nm of torque. It has an acceleration time of 0-100km/h in 12.3 seconds and it gets a 44.9kWh battery that has a WLTP-rated 340km range on a single charge. Meanwhile, the Extended Range Dolphin gets a more powerful motor that pushes 150kW (204hp) and 310Nm of torque, and it gets a larger 60.48kWh battery which delivers a claimed WLTP range of up to 427km. Due to its more powerful motor, it does 0-100km/h in 7 seconds.

The BYD Dolphin launch in Malaysia is happening on 27th July. If you want to give the Dolphin a spin, the public is invited to register themselves for a test drive that’s scheduled from 28th to 30th July 2023 at 1 Utama old wing car park. — SoyaCincau