On the afternoon of May 20, BYD Dolphin will officially start pre-sale, and various configurations and final pre-sale prices will also be announced tomorrow. However, there is already a lot of information about the Dolphin on the entire network, and we will make a simple summary here.
On September 8, 2021, BYD unveiled the concept car Ocean-X at the e platform 3.0 release conference. As we all know, this car is the design prototype of the Dolphin. However, until early March 2022, only a few design sketches, some spy photos, and scattered information have been released.
Parameter Configuration
The first major exposure was on March 14th, when BYD Dolphin landed at the MIIT. This is the first time that the detailed vehicle parameters and high-definition pictures of Dolphin have been revealed. After that, various data leaks about the Dolphin continued to be released.
First, let’s review the various parameters of the Dolphin:
- The body dimensions are 4,800 × 1,875 × 1,460 mm, and the wheelbase is 2,920 mm. It is positioned as a B-class sedan;
- The peak power of the front AC asynchronous motor is 160 kW, the peak power of the rear permanent magnet synchronous motor is 230 kW, and the total power is up to 390 kW. There are rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive modes. The zero-to-one-hundred acceleration has three gears: 3.8s, 5.9s, and 7.5s;
- The battery has two capacity options: 61.44 kWh and 82.56 kWh. The cruising range is 550/650/700 km, and the DC charging power is 110-150 kW. The curb weight is 1,885-2,015 kg;
- The wind resistance coefficient is 0.219, lower than the 0.233 of Han EV and the 0.23 of Model 3;
- It has hidden door handles, a heat pump air conditioner, a front trunk, and other configurations;
- The suspension form is front double-arm and rear five-link, and the top model has a variable damping suspension;
- There are multiple colors and styles available for body kits, wheel styles, and brake calipers, and two tire sizes (18 and 19 inches) are available to choose from.
Interior Exposure
On April 27th, the official picture of the interior of the BYD seal was exposed. The car will feature a 10.25-inch instrument screen and a 15.6-inch rotatable central control screen, and the vehicle system will be equipped with 5G network. HUD should also be equipped in front of the instrument.
This time, the crystal gear lever was used. The materials of the interior look much more advanced. However, the central armrest and the door panel armrest are made of mirror black plastic, which is a small weakness considering its tendency to collect fingerprints.
The car is equipped with 12 Denon speakers, 2 wireless charging pads, 360-degree panoramic imaging, in-car cameras, and a built-in driving recorder.
There is not much information available about the car’s interior features at present. Specific data about seat materials, rear space, vehicle systems, and autonomous driving chips have not yet been revealed. We will have to wait for BYD to unveil these mysteries at the press conference.
What Else?
Since May 13th, there have been more technological leaks. One is CTB battery-in-car design, and the other is iTAC intelligent torque control system.
To explain briefly, CTB technology is similar to the CTC technology used in the Leapmotor C01–the battery packs used to protect the battery have been removed, and the batteries have been directly installed on the chassis of the vehicle, which increases the utilization of battery space and lowers manufacturing costs.
Another iTAC technology, mainly applied to 4-wheel drive models, can accurately distribute the torque of each wheel according to the road conditions, reduce tire slip on low-adhesion ground such as snow, sand, and wetland, and improve acceleration efficiency and stability in corners.
Although these two technologies have not been explicitly stated to be equipped on the Sea Lion by the official, the image of the Sea Lion has appeared in the video material and release conference posters of BYD official. It is self-evident that there is a close relationship between them.
Finally, on May 17th, two patents related to the “Lidar cover” of BYD announced by the National Intellectual Property Administration were revealed. It can be seen that the “Lidar” matches the Sea Lion’s front headlight area very well. The location of the “Lidar” is also similar to the front double Lidar of the XPeng P5. Therefore, many people speculate whether Sea Lion will have Lidar?
However, according to the currently known information, the Sea Lion series this year will not be equipped with Lidar. As for whether it can be upgraded in the future, the official has not given a clear answer.You can tell that the seal is definitely a heavyweight model for BYD this year, with sincere design and features. However, various new energy vehicle companies have also released their own sedan products this year.
There are rumors that the seal’s pre-sale price is expected to be between RMB 220,000 to 280,000. What do you think of this price? And which one of the following domestic competitors would you choose?
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.