Plans for a sportier variant of the BYD Dolphin electric car have been scrapped for the Australian market. EVDirect, the company’s distributor, has decided to focus on other vehicle launches instead of bringing the hot version of the Dolphin to Australia.
Customers who had placed orders for the BYD Dolphin Sport were notified last week by EVDirect about the cancellation of their orders. They are now being offered credits towards other BYD products.
According to David Smitherman, the recently appointed CEO of EVDirect, the decision to cancel Dolphin Sport was primarily driven by a focus on achieving higher sales volume.
Smitherman emphasized the importance of bringing new vehicles into the market regularly to meet demand. EVDirect’s upcoming launches include the Seal U, with plans to expand the brand’s presence in key segments such as mid-sized SUVs and utes.
The Dolphin Sport, which was exclusively requested by EVDirect for the Australian market, was initially revealed through a single rendering at the local debut of the Dolphin hatchback. It was intended to be a limited-edition model with only 1000 units planned for production.
The Sport variant was expected to feature a unique body kit, ‘Sport Performance tires,’ and ‘Performance styled rims,’ along with a tuned sports performance for a firmer suspension tune. Despite promising specifications, including a 0-100km/h time of under seven seconds, the Sport’s launch has been called off.
Originally priced at $49,890 before on-road costs, the Dolphin Sport aimed to offer enhanced performance compared to the standard Dolphin, which is currently the most affordable electric vehicle in Australia, starting at $38,890 before on-road costs.