BYD is preparing to do something no other manufacturer has yet managed in the UK: bring plug-in hybrid power to the supermini segment. When it arrives next year, the new Dolphin G will become both the smallest and the cheapest PHEV on sale, marking another important step in the Chinese brand’s rapid European expansion.
Positioned as a B-segment hatchback, the Dolphin G will sit below the Dolphin Surf EV and measure roughly four metres in length and around 1.5 metres in height. In footprint terms, it will line up with familiar names such as the Toyota Yaris, Renault Clio and MG 3, but it will stand apart technically. While its rivals rely on conventional full-hybrid systems, BYD is committing to a full plug-in setup in a class where cost, weight and packaging have traditionally ruled such technology out.
Details remain limited with the car still some months from its official unveiling, but the Dolphin G is expected to borrow heavily from the Atto 2 DM-i crossover’s powertrain. That car is currently among the smallest PHEVs on the market and uses BYD’s familiar DM-i system, pairing a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a front-mounted electric motor.
Crucially, the system can operate either as a series hybrid, where the engine acts primarily as a generator, or as a parallel hybrid, combining petrol and electric power for stronger performance. In the Atto 2 DM-i, the setup delivers a combined 259bhp and a claimed fuel economy figure of 156mpg, while the larger of its two battery options allows for up to 56 miles of electric-only driving.
Whether the Dolphin G can match those figures is another matter. Supermini packaging constraints are likely to force compromises, particularly in battery capacity, which could reduce electric range and overall output. Even so, offering meaningful zero-emissions capability in a car of this size would be a significant technical and commercial statement.
BYD vice-president Stella Li has confirmed that the Dolphin G will be a landmark model for the company in another way, too. Unlike BYD’s existing European range — which currently consists of adapted Chinese-market vehicles — the Dolphin G will be the firm’s first car designed specifically with Europe in mind.
“There is not any market in China” for plug-in hybrid hatchbacks like the Dolphin G, Li said, underlining how strongly this project is targeted at European buyers and regulations.
Production for the European market will begin next year at BYD’s new factory in Hungary, initially building the Dolphin Surf and Atto 2. The Dolphin G is expected to follow shortly after, further strengthening local supply and reducing reliance on imports.
The new supermini will join a rapidly growing line-up of BYD plug-in hybrids in Europe, including the Seal U DM-i, Seal 6 DM-i and Atto 2 DM-i, as well as the upcoming Denza B5 4×4 and Denza Z9 GT. In the UK, the brand is just weeks away from launching the Sealion 5 DM-i SUV, while a plug-in hybrid version of the Atto 3 is pencilled in for later in the decade.
If BYD can deliver competitive pricing alongside genuine electric range, the Dolphin G could open the door to plug-in hybrid ownership for a whole new audience — and quietly redefine what’s possible in the supermini class.
Source: BYD