BYD has announced that the one millionth unit of the Seagull hatchback has just rolled off the production line in China. Known in European markets as the BYD Dolphin Surf and Dolphin Mini in Latin American markets, the entry-level electric hatchback is now the fastest-selling BYD ever since its launch in April 2023.
The success is in part due to its reach overseas. According to CarNewsChina, the A-segment compact hatchback has now been launched in over 15 European markets. It competes against similarly sized hatchbacks like the Wuling Bingo and even the electric MINI Cooper.
In Europe, it is priced from EUR22,990 (approx. RM114k), a steep markup compared to the local price of CNY63,800 (approx. RM37k) to CNY82,800 (approx. RM48k). Despite this, BYD still managed to sell 60,131 units of the Seagull last month, where almost half of them are going to overseas markets.
While impressive, it is only the third best-selling car in China this year as of May 2025, behind the Geely Xingyuan (soon to be the Proton eMAS 5) in first place, and the Wuling Hongguang Mini in second.
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In China, the BYD Seagull comes with a front-mounted electric motor producing 74 hp and 135 Nm of torque, paired with a 30.08 kWh battery that delivers up to 305 km of range (CLTC). A long-range variant is also available, featuring a 38.88 kWh battery good for up to 405 km (CLTC). DC fast charging is supported, allowing a 30% to 80% charge in just 30 minutes.
Here in Malaysia, the BYD Dolphin currently serves as the brand’s entry-level electric vehicle (EV) in Malaysia. We’ve advocated for cheaper EVs like the Seagull before, but due to the government’s mandate that require imported EVs to be priced above RM100,000, we’re unlikely to see something like this here anytime soon – that is, until Perodua and Proton start selling their EV hatchbacks this year.
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