When it comes to representing the A0-class pure electric vehicles, the BYD Dolphin is undoubtedly the leader. Since its launch, the Dolphin has won the annual sales championship in the A0 segment for two consecutive years, setting a new record for annual sales in this category and gaining the favor of over 600,000 users. It’s worth mentioning that the Dolphin has also achieved significant sales success in overseas markets, becoming the best-selling electric vehicle in the Brazilian market and the top-selling pure electric vehicle in the Thai market in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The Dolphin has truly gone from being a Chinese champion to a world champion.
The recently launched Dolphin Glory Edition, with a starting price of $13,900, has made many internet users exclaim that it’s a no-brainer purchase. So, what upgrades does the Dolphin Glory Edition offer? With a budget of around $14,000, is the BYD Dolphin Glory Edition truly the best choice?
01
Innate Excellence
The BYD Dolphin is the first mass-produced vehicle built on the e-platform 3.0, which is specifically designed for pure electric vehicles. This platform further integrates and standardizes core components of the car, providing an exclusive architecture and numerous advanced technologies.
For example, it features the world’s first deeply integrated eight-in-one electric powertrain, resulting in a comprehensive efficiency of up to 89%. The direct cooling and heating technology of the battery pack refrigerant improves both thermal efficiency and overall battery pack performance while extending battery life. The wide-temperature-range and high-efficiency heat pump system enhances winter range performance. When all these leading technologies are combined, the Dolphin achieves exceptional system efficiency, higher range success rate, and effectively expands the travel radius for owners.
Another example is the “blade battery” used in the Dolphin Glory Edition, which has inherent safety advantages. It adopts a special structure similar to a honeycomb aluminum plate, providing better passive safety for the vehicle. It has also passed the “needle penetration test,” which is known as the “Mount Everest” of battery safety tests, ensuring worry-free driving for consumers.
Thanks to the e-platform 3.0, although the BYD Dolphin is positioned as an A0-class pure electric vehicle, it boasts a wheelbase of 2700mm, offering consumers a seating space close to that of a B-class car. Combined with the Dolphin’s sleek and adorable design, leading intelligent features in its class, and outstanding overall product performance, it is a highly competitive choice.
02
10 Upgrades, Leading in All Aspects
The newly launched BYD Dolphin Glory Edition has undergone significant upgrades based on the 2023 model, including 1 performance enhancement, 3 design advancements, and 6 configuration upgrades.
Let’s start with the suspension.
The entire range of the new Dolphin Glory Edition has been upgraded with a rear four-link independent suspension, further enhancing the handling and comfort of the chassis. When driving on rough or bumpy roads, there is minimal body movement, resulting in a better riding experience and increased comfort for passengers.
Moreover, the chassis system of the Dolphin Glory Edition has been fine-tuned by the Hans team, the former chassis experts from Mercedes-Benz. It provides better stability when taking corners or overtaking, effectively reducing body roll and instilling more confidence in the driver. Compared to many vehicles in the same class that still use torsion beam suspensions, the Dolphin Glory Edition offers a superior driving experience.
In terms of design, the BYD Dolphin already had a high level of maturity, and the Glory Edition introduces new solid body colors, Atlantis Gray and Heatwave Red, providing consumers with more choices. The Freedom and Fashion editions also feature new 16-inch five-spoke fin wheels, with the color of the wheel center matching the body color, resulting in an enhanced design and a higher head-turning rate on the road, adding to the appeal of the new vehicle.
For consumers, the comfort features are the ones they use most frequently, and this is where the Dolphin Glory Edition has the most upgrades.
For example, the Dolphin Glory Edition has upgraded all its models with a 4-way adjustable steering wheel, a layered cover for the trunk, and a front 60W Type-C charging port. Users can adjust the steering wheel to their preferred angle as soon as they get into the car. The layered cover for the trunk significantly improves the utilization of the trunk space, making it more flexible in use. The front 60W Type-C charging port means that as long as the phone is connected to the Type-C charging port via a data cable, the phone’s battery can be fully charged in about half an hour, making it very convenient.
The high-end versions of the Dolphin Glory Edition also feature a new 50W wireless charging function for mobile phones. The wireless charging panel is designed to be semi-embedded, ensuring that even during sudden braking or sharp turns, the phone will not easily fall off. It is highly user-friendly. In addition, the wireless charging panel is equipped with an active cooling fan, which can reduce charging temperature and extend the battery life of the phone.
Another notable feature is the seat configuration. The Dolphin Glory Edition has added ventilated seats to the front row. With the seat ventilation function, there will be no more uncomfortable situations of a hot seat during the scorching summer. Combined with the existing heated front seats, it ensures comfort during both winter and summer, providing a more comfortable travel experience. The addition of privacy glass in the rear seats also better protects the privacy of rear passengers.
03
Upgrades and Price Reductions, How Much Can Consumers Save?
The Dolphin Glory Edition, with upgrades in up to 10 configurations, not only maintains the same price but actually reduces it, making it a very sincere offering.
For the entry-level model, the Vitality Edition, which is most suitable for urban commuting without long-distance travel requirements, the suggested price has decreased by $2,361 compared to the previous model, making it even more affordable.
Now let’s take a look at the Freedom Edition, which has a range of 420km. After the redesign, it not only upgrades the long-awaited rear four-link independent suspension (estimated value of $417) and four-way adjustable steering wheel (estimated value of $69) that many existing users have been waiting for, greatly improving everyday driving comfort, but also comprehensively upgrades the onboard ETC, NVH, and air conditioning performance (estimated value of $277), making it more convenient for users in various scenarios.
These upgrades, estimated at a value of over $800, result in a decrease of $555 in the suggested price of the Freedom Edition compared to the previous model, saving consumers a total of $1,355.
As for the higher-configured Fashion Edition and Knight Edition, they come with even more upgrades. The much-needed seat ventilation for summer (estimated value of $280), rear privacy glass (estimated value of $80), and 50W wireless phone charging (estimated value of $60), combined with the aforementioned upgrades, have a total value of at least $1,250. Taking into account the price reduction, the owners directly gain more than $2,200. It can only be said that BYD is truly generous.
04
Conclusion
From being a champion in China to a world champion, the BYD Dolphin offers consumers a highly cost-effective product experience, delivering great value for money. With a budget of around 100,000 RMB to buy an electric vehicle, the Dolphin Glory Edition is the best choice. It is believed that with the launch of the Dolphin Glory Edition, it will continue to drive the rapid development of the A0-level car market, providing consumers with a more refined driving experience.