Just a couple of weeks after showing off its design, BYD has made up to 212 horsepower official for its first Made-for-Europe, B-segment PHEV hatchback: the Dolphin G DM-i.
The Dolphin G DM-i is the B-segment (think Toyota Yaris, Mazda2, Honda City Hatchback, Ford Fiesta)’s first plug-in hybrid. It sports a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder generator (95 horsepower, 120 Nm) that feeds power to a BYD Blade Battery.
This trademark LFP battery comes in two sizes—7.52 kWh and 18.3 kWh, providing anywhere between 40 to 105 kilometers of all-electric range in the Dolphin G DM-i. More impressive is that with a 42-liter tank, it can hit up to 1,040 kilometers on a single tank of fuel. Charging can be done solely in AC charging for the smaller battery version (up to 3.3 kW), or AC (6.6 kW) and DC (39 kW) charging on the larger battery version.
With a front-mounted electric motor providing most of the punch, the Dolphin G DM-I makes either 176 horsepower and 210 Nm (7.42 kWh battery) or 212 horsepower and 210 Nm of torque (18.3 kWh battery). In both cases, 0 to 100 km/h is taken cared of in just 8.3 seconds.
Measuring in at 4,160 mm in length, 1,825 mm in width, and 1,575 mm in height, the Dolphin G DM-i has a generous 2,610 mm wheelbase. This translates to interior room akin to a C-segment vehicle. Cargo space is also huge at 425 liters (includes a 45-liter underfloor compartment). Fold down the rear seats and the storage grows to 1,225 liters.
The Dolphin G DM-i is feature rich with automatic climate control, an 8.8-inch digital driver’s display, a 15-watt wireless charger, and an 8-speaker sound system. The 10.1- or 12.8-inch infotainment screen can also be upgraded with Google Integration bringing native functions such as Google Maps and Google Assistant. Drivers can also install additional applications like games or media streaming services. On top of that are options such as a heads-up display, panoramic sunroof, vegan leather/fabric combination seats, and a 360-degree camera.
Outside, it comes with either 16- or 18-inch alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, full LED lighting with a full-width lightbar at the back, and of course, a design aesthetic that’s considered as the latest evolution of BYD’s “ocean-influenced” design.
So far, the Dolphin G DM-i has been confirmed for Europe only, but depending on where it’s sourced, there’s a good chance that it’ll make its way to the Philippines probably by 2027 at the earliest.
Hopefully BYD will release this in the South East Asian countries especially in the PH sooner rather than later since it's the first PHEV for its segment, has most of the features you want, and looks pretty good.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it's price has been estimated to be around PHP1.6M+ in Europe so the price MIGHT be a bit lower due to cheaper logistics in shipping in South East Asian countries so that it could be more competitive price-wise.