The BYD (EV) Thread

New BYD Dolphin Surf revealed: budget EV gets major upgrades

Known as the Seagull in China, BYD has revealed the all-new, second-generation Dolphin Surf. Here’s what we know…

BYD has unveiled the all-new Dolphin Surf, or Seagull as it is known in its home market. The second-generation version of the Chinese automaker’s entry-level electric vehicle (EV) boasts a selection of upgrades, including increased exterior dimensions and a fresh powertrain configuration.

As reported by Chinese publication Autohome, Chinese government certification filings reveal the new Dolphin Surf measures 4 205 mm in length and 1 810 mm in width, making it 280 mm longer and 90 mm wider than the current generation. The box-fresh Dolphin Surf stands 1 570 mm tall (down 20 mm over the outgoing iteration). The wheelbase has been stretched by 150 mm, to 2 650 mm – the latter matching that of the Geely E2, though 50 mm shorter than the Chery Q.

Noteworthy, the new Dolphin Surf adopts a rear-wheel drivetrain. As a reminder, the current car, which we sampled in June 2026, features a single, front-mounted electric motor driving the front wheels. The second iteration’s single, rear-mounted electric motor produces 95 kW – up 40 kW over the first Dolphin Surf, and 10 and 5 kW more than the Geely E2 and Chery Q, respectively. The electric motor is fed by the choice of either a 30 or 39.2 kWh battery pack – the former and latter serving up a claimed 259 and 340 km operating range, respectively.

www.carmag.co.za

New BYD Dolphin Surf revealed: budget EV gets major upgrades

Known as the Seagull in China, BYD has revealed the all-new, second-generation Dolphin Surf. Here’s what we know…
www.carmag.co.za www.carmag.co.za

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2026 Chery Q vs BYD Dolphin Surf vs Geely E2

With the Q, Chery is looking to shake up the local budget EV segment. We take a closer look at how the Q stacks up against a duo of value-oriented EV rivals, the Geely E2 and BYD Dolphin Surf.

Chery Q vs Geely E2 vs BYD Dolphin Surf: pricing


The most affordable of the trio, the Geely E2 – in Aspire spec – is priced from R339 900, with pricing for the two-strong range topping out at R389 900 for the flagship, Apex model. Equipped with the smaller-capacity battery, the BYD Dolphin Surf is priced from R341 900. The range-topping Dolphin Surf is priced from R395 900. Serving as the entry point to Chery Q ownership, the Comfort model is priced from R349 900, while the Elite derivative will set you back R389 900.

Chery Q vs Geely E2 vs BYD Dolphin Surf: warranty and service plans

The Q features the most comprehensive vehicle and battery warranties here. The Q is sold with Chery’s five-year/150 000 km vehicle warranty and a battery warranty spanning 10 years or 200 000 km. The E2 package includes a four-year/150 000 km vehicle warranty and an eight-year/200 000 km battery warranty. While the BYD’s battery warranty matches the Geely’s, it ships with a three-year/100 000 km vehicle warranty. The Q and E2 are sold with five-year/100 000 km service plans, while the Dolphin Surf features a three-year/60 000 km service plan.

www.carmag.co.za

2026 Chery Q vs BYD Dolphin Surf vs Geely E2

We take a closer look at how the Chery Q stacks up against two budget-friendly EV rivals, the Geely E2 and BYD Dolphin Surf...
www.carmag.co.za www.carmag.co.za

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I can definitely see a second hand E2 or Surf in my future when the teenager is at the licensing stage in 6-7 years.
 

Would You Buy a $19,990 Chinese EV? - Auto Expert John Cadogan​

Would you buy a brand-new Chinese EV for less than $20,000? That’s the question at the centre of this episode.

I sat down for a full-length podcast with Brett Davis from Driving Enthusiast Australia to talk about the rapidly changing Australian new-car market — and, in particular, BYD’s $19,990 drive-away Atto 1.

At a time when so many new cars seem to blur into the same basic formula, the Atto 1 stands out for one very simple reason: price.

A genuinely new EV for under $20,000 is a very different proposition from the increasingly expensive SUVs, dual-cab utes and premium-priced EVs dominating the market.

So what does it mean for buyers? Is this the point where EVs become genuinely accessible to mainstream Australians? Would you trust a Chinese EV at this price? And what does a car like this do to the value equation for conventional petrol-powered small cars?

Brett and I unpack the Atto 1, the broader Chinese-car invasion, the changing competitive landscape, and what all of this could mean for Australian car buyers over the next few years.
Click to expand...

 
How well did the new Chery Q EV sell in its launch month?

How well did the new Chery Q sell in South Africa in its launch month of September 2026? We have sales figures for the Chinese brand’s first EV in Mzansi…

- Chery Q launched at start of September
- Accounted for 7.1% of Chery SA’s total
- Managed to outsell BYD’s Dolphin Surf

Orders for the new Chery Q opened in South Africa at the start of September 2026. So, how well did this Chinese electric vehicle (EV) sell in its launch month?

Well, according to figures reported to industry-representative body Naamsa, the Wuhu-based automaker’s local division registered 214 units of the Chery Q in September 2026, all sold via the dealer channel. For the sake of comparison, BYD Auto SA sold 150 units of the Dolphin Surf during the month.

That opening performance from the new Q helped the Chery brand reach a fresh sales high of 3 004 units in September, with local registrations increasing 8.7% month on month. Interestingly, that represented the first instance of the Chinese brand breaking through the 3 000-unit barrier in SA.

Drilling down into the individual-model sales figures, we see the marque’s first fully electric vehicle accounted for some 7.1% of its overall total. Within the Chery stable, the Q outsold both the Tiggo 8 (114 units) and the flagship Tiggo 9 (33 units), while finishing behind the Tiggo 7 (392 units) and the Tiggo 4 Cross (2 251 units).

As a reminder, the battery-powered Chery Q starts at R349 900, seeing it slot into 4th place on the list of SA’s most affordable EVs, behind the Geely E2 Aspire (R339 900), BYD Dolphin Surf Comfort (R341 900) and Dongfeng Box E2 430 (R349 000). Geely and Dongfeng unfortunately don’t currently report sales figures to Naamsa, so it’s not clear how many examples of the E2 and Box were sold in September.

The new Q is available in South Africa in 2 trim levels: Comfort and Elite (the latter priced at R389 900). Chery’s electric crossover measures 4 195 mm from front to back. That makes it 60 mm longer than Geely’s E2 and a considerable 270 mm lengthier than BYD’s Dolphin Surf.


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5 double-cab bakkies with the most torque (2026)

Which double-cab bakkies currently available in South Africa offer the most torque? We’ve sorted through the spec sheets to find out…

While power figures tend to grab the headlines, torque is ultimately what gets the job done, particularly when it comes to light-commercial vehicles. So, which double-cab bakkies currently on South Africa’s new-vehicle market boast the most torque?

Well, we’ve painstakingly sorted through the double-cab segment to pick out the torquiest contenders. Interestingly, the top 5 includes turbodiesel, turbopetrol, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and fully electric powertrains.

These are the 5 double-cab bakkies that currently offer the highest peak-torque figures, ranked by sheer pulling power (all pricing is correct in October 2026). Note that the JAC T9 PHEV will soon launch locally, set to slot into 2nd spot with 674 Nm.

In addition, keep in mind that the GWM P300 PHEV is in the pipeline for South Africa, potentially offering total system torque of 750 Nm – enough to grab 1st place. And the Chery Grootman (scheduled to arrive in the opening quarter of 2027) is slated to make a whopping 800 Nm from its diesel PHEV powertrain…

1. BYD Shark 6 Performance – 700 Nm

2. GWM P500 3.0TD – 620 Nm

3. Ford Ranger 3.0TD V6/VW Amarok 3.0TDI V6 – 600 Nm

4. Geely Riddara RD6 Apex AWD – 595 Nm

5. Ford Ranger Raptor 3.0T V6 – 583 Nm

 
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