BYD Dolphin, Seal electric cars delayed for Australia, orders to open 2023

The next phase of Chinese electric-car brand BYD’s roll-out in Australia has been delayed to next year.

The next electric cars to come from newly arrived Chinese brand BYD – the Dolphin city hatchback and Seal mid-size sedan – have been delayed, with order books not due to open until next year.

The Dolphin hatch and Seal sedan – as they are known overseas – were previously due to open for customer orders before the end of this year, ahead of deliveries between March and June 2023.

However, BYD’s local distributor EVDirect says orders – and subsequent first deliveries – for the Dolphin are now not due until the first half of 2023. Orders and deliveries for the Seal are due to follow in the second half of next year.

The Australia distributor of BYD claims it wants to reduce the waiting time between orders and customer handovers – and eventually have stock on the ground ready for immediate delivery.

The BYD Atto 3 currently has up to a seven-month wait between ordering and delivery.

“Both the Seal and Dolphin will be released for sale next year. We had hoped to put the Dolphin on sale this year but decided to hold the pre-sale date back to be closer to the actual delivery date,” EVDirect managing director Luke Todd told Drive this week.

“We want to move towards being a brand that can release models closer to the actual delivery date. Due to our massive production capability … 2023 will see us bridge the gap to most likely having stock ready to go when a customer orders.”

Few details for the Dolphin and Seal have been confirmed for the Australian market, however both cars are slated to be sold under different names locally.

Prices are yet to be announced, though the cars are expected to be positioned either side of the BYD Atto 3 small SUV – priced from approximately $45,000 to $50,000 drive-away in Australia.

If Chinese prices are a guide, the Dolphin could cost less than $40,000 drive-away in Australia, while the Seal could be priced from about $60,000 drive-away – in line with its main rival, the Tesla Model 3, which is priced from $65,500 before on-road costs.

The Dolphin measures four metres long – similar to a Toyota Yaris, MG 3 or Volkswagen Polo – and offers a choice of 30.7kWh and 44.9kWh batteries in China, good for up to 400km of claimed driving range.

@LudicrousFeed spotted a new EV is this the BYD dolphin? pic.twitter.com/o8IcEXTpKP

— Lachlan Smith (@smithy_dll) November 25, 2022

A right-hand-drive Dolphin has been spied testing in camouflage on Sydney roads by Twitter user Lachlan Smith.

Meanwhile, the Seal is a Toyota Camry or Tesla Model 3-sized sedan available with up to 700km of claimed driving range (in lenient Chinese testing), or up to 390kW/670Nm in a dual-motor performance model, capable of 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds.

The Dolphin and Seal follow the Atto 3 into showrooms, deliveries of which began in September – and is already among Australia’s best-selling electric cars, data sourced by Drive has found.

Two additional BYD models are planned for Australia – expected to comprise a mid-size SUV, known overseas as the Sea Lion, and a ute.

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