Le’s see if BYD gives Malaysia our first RM100k EV
So a while ago, the Chinese automaker, BYD had just officially set up shop in Malaysia and put the BYD Atto 3 electric vehicle (EV) SUV on sale starting from RM149,800. We also managed to get a look at the BYD Seal and BYD dolphin at the time and wondered about the latter, could this car be sold here for RM100k?
Now let’s explore why we were thinking that, we all know that electric vehicles (EVs) are the future, after all many countries are outright banning petrol cars, but here in Malaysia, the infrastructure is severely lacking. However, it is slowly improving. That just leaves the issue of price. Can the BYD dolphin fix that?
It is no secret that cars are extremely expensive here in Malaysia and it becomes even worse when one remembers just how little most Malaysians are earning, so EVs which essentially cut out certain taxes are very appealing but even still, most EVs are too expensive for the average Malaysian. So can the BYD dolphin change that?
Well the simple answer is yes, of course it can, the more complicated answer is, it most likely will not. Let me explain, so most EVs here in Malaysia are sold somewhere around the RM150k mark. The same can be said about the BYD Atto 3, which has amazing technology and features for the price.
Moreover, the smaller BYD dolphin looks to have most of the same technology and features but is powered by either a 95Ps or 177Ps motor and has a range of 300km to 400km (NDEC) so it is clearly meant to be cheaper than the Atto 3. Unfortunately, BYD still has a business to run and that means profit margins.
While one could argue that reducing the price would equal more sales, that is simply not how it works. If the BYD dolphin were to be sold at a price where the company does not generate extra money compared to the cost of making the vehicle, then the business would very quickly go bankrupt.
This is why the BYD dolphin will have to be sold at a price where the company can see at least a small amount of profit. This is why I believe that the BYD dolphin will not be sold at RM100k and Malaysia will not have a RM100k EV anytime soon. Until then keep expecting sub RM150k EVs at best.
