New larger BYD Dolphin spotted testing ahead of launch
The new BYD Dolphin has been spied testing. Although not a completely new generation Dolphin the car is significantly different to the Chinese market version that has up to now been sold. Most notably, the length of the new car is 130 mm longer.
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Previously the Chinese market version has been shorter than the version sold in most export markets. The new car is likely to be a unification of the two versions, meaning that from now on, there will only be one BYD Dolphin.
Currently, export versions of the Dolphin have a length of 4290 mm, whereas the domestic version is 4150 mm. December saw the declaration of the new BYD Dolphin in the monthly Ministry of Industry and Information Technology listings.
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Notably, the new version of the Dolphin has a length of 4280 mm Along with a width of 1770 mm and a height of 1570 mm. Notably, the width and height, along with the wheelbase, which is 2700 mm, remain unchanged from the current car and also are exactly the same as those of the export version.
Export versions of the Dolphin were initially lengthened in order to ensure 5-star ratings in the Euro and Australian NCAP crash tests. The additional length is due to a new front-end crash structure.
It appears that changes to the Chinese version will bring the car into line with export versions. Additionally there are Some small styling changes both at the front and the rear from the existing car. Notably the headlights are now a slightly different shape.
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From the side, the car seems to be unchanged, but at the rear, the fender has undergone some changes.
Currently, there are no shots of the interior, but changes are likely to be minimal over the existing car.
There are three listed curb weights for the new version of the Dolphin: 1435 kg, 1480 kg, and 1600 kg. The new dolphin will be available with 70 kW, 130 kW, and 150 kW electric motors.
Currently, all versions of the Dolphin, be they domestic or export, use either a 44.93 kWh or 60.48 kWh battery pack. It is highly likely that the new version will use the same packs that use BYD‘s lithium iron phosphate blade battery. Chinese versions have either 420 KM or 520 KM (CLTC) range.
The car will launch in the next few months and will be available with either 16 or 17-inch wheels. Furthermore, the car can be customized with many different wheel designs.
Sources: Autohome, MIIT
