BYD to market and produce the Dolphin Surf (Seagull) in Europe
- As we recently saw in our Auto Analysis No. 10, BYD has quickly become the leading Chinese carmaker in China (all engines combined), even overtaking the former leaders in production, such as the Volkswagen group (associated with SAIC and FAW) and GM (associated with SAIC). BYD has benefited from the electrification of the Chinese vehicle fleet, offering battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) in roughly equal parts. Today, the BYD range consists of around twenty different models, the entry-level model including the battery electric Seagull sedan (B-Segment), which is enjoying great success in China, with 479,294 units produced in 2024 compared to 281,838 in 2023. The model is produced in China at the Xi'an (Shaanxi) and Changzhou (Jiangsu) plants.
- BYD has announced that it will produce and market this model in Europe this year, at a price close to 20,000 euros, even though its basic version is marketed in China at 56,800 yuan, or less than 7,000 euros. However, the price of 20,000 euros is rather a price of the lower segment (A-segment) in Europe . The 100% electric Seagull adapted to the European market and to be produced in the BYD factory in Szeged, Hungary, is renamed Dolphin Surf (there is already a battery electric Dolphin model of the C segment in the BYD range, which can create confusion). In Latin America, the same model is called Dolphin Mini and is imported from China.
- The 3.99 m long BYD Dolphin Surf will compete with the cheapest battery electric city cars sold in Europe such as the Leapmotor T03, the Dacia Spring, the Renault Twingo E-Tech or the future Volkswagen ID1, all in the A segment. Its LFP battery has a capacity of 45 kWh allowing a range of 340 km according to the WLTP cycle, while the Chinese Seagull has less powerful LFP batteries of 30 kWh and 43 kWh allowing a range of 220 km and 320 km.