Cheap Chinese electric car could come close to $30,000: 2024 BYD Dolphin may get a new entry grade to undercut GWM Ora and widen the gap to MG4 with Hyundai Inster in its sights

An almost imperceptible mention of a new variant in Australian government approval documents indicates an even cheaper version of the BYD Dolphin electric car could be on the way. 

The ‘Essential’ pops up at the end and is said to use the same 70kW motor, 44.9kWh battery and 16-inch alloy wheels as the current Dynamic entry grade for 340km driving range.

The Dynamic largely mirrors the top-spec Premium save for the latter's more powerful 150kW electric motor, multi-link rear suspension and larger 17-inch alloys, so the Essential is likely a new entry model.

CarsGuide contacted Australian BYD importer EV Direct about the new variant, and a spokesperson said “There is no confirmation of new product beyond what has already been acknowledged. At this stage we don’t have any information on additional variants to the range.”

From time to time, manufacturers may comply vehicles that are not necessarily locked in for Australia but having them cleared for sale makes it easy to make a quick decision if market conditions change, for example.

Looking at BYD's other export markets, we can see there are other, slightly lower trims than the Premium we have in Australia. 

BYD Malaysia, for example, offers a very similar spec to our 70kW/180Nm Dynamic though without a panoramic glass roof and a wireless charging pad. It starts at MYR100,000 in Malaysia, equivalent to less than $33,000 in local currency.

2024 BYD Dolphin Premium (image: Tome White)

In China, an even more affordable version of the Dolphin is sold with a smaller 10.1-inch touchscreen as opposed to the larger 12.8-inch item we get in Oz. It costs the equivalent of just $20,681 (98,300 Yuan) in its home market. 

While it is unlikely an Essential would be quite as cheap as what’s offered overseas, if BYD could bring a new grade closer to the Ora’s $35,990 drive-away price and significantly undercut the MG4 Excite ($39,990 drive-away), it may aid the small car’s sales position. 

BYD has already cut Dolphin prices this year with a $2000 reduction in June to $38,900 before on-road costs for the Dynamic. The lower price seems to be working with sales up from 175 in May to 204 for the month of June, totalling 1248 this year.

The GWM Ora is behind despite its lower price at 592 for the year but MG is streaks ahead; its popular MG4 finding 2771 homes in the same period.

2024 BYD Seagull

BYD importer EV Direct's CEO David Smitherman made it clear to CarsGuide the Chinese brand will have the product customers want, helping to multiply sales volume over the next few years.

Previous EV Direct CEO Luke Todd previously spoke of positioning the BYD brand as an "affordable luxury", ruling out the smaller BYD Seagull city EV that could have started in the $20,000 region in Australia.

A cheaper Dolphin may stand-in for that car at the low end as more brands, including Hyundai with the new Inster city car, enter the fray. 

The new BYD Shark plug-in hybrid ute is confirmed for Australia while a Tesla Model Y rivalling Sealion 7 electric mid-size SUV is also expected. 

2024 BYD Dolphin pricing

Prices listed are before on-road costs