BYD announces the start of production in Europe of the Dolphin Surf before the end of the year

The presence of BYD at the IAA Mobility 2025, being held this week in the German city of Munich, has highlighted the importance of the European market in the company’s global expansion strategy. The Chinese automotive giant unveiled for the first time at this event the Seal 6 DM-i Touring, a plug-in hybrid model, and at the German show it also announced two important news items related to its most popular model: the Dolphin Surf -known in the Chinese market as the Seagull-.

Firstly, BYD has announced with great satisfaction the 5-star rating achieved by the Dolphin Surf in Euro NCAP safety tests; it then revealed its intention to begin producing this city electric car in Europe before the end of the current year.

The plant in Szeged, Hungary, will be responsible for producing the Dolphin Surf, where the Atto 3 compact electric SUV is also manufactured. According to Stella Li, executive vice president of BYD, the Dolphin Surf will lead the brand’s European production, tailored specifically to meet the needs of the local market.

“Europe is a key market for us, and we are proud to announce at the largest car show of 2025 that the Dolphin Surf will be our first vehicle manufactured in Hungary.”

European Union special tariffs drive Chinese plug-in hybrid models

Although BYD did not present any new electric model in Munich, the Seal 6 DM-i Touring with plug-in hybrid propulsion system has captured the attention of attendees. A strategic launch, with which the company will seek to circumvent the special tariffs imposed by the European Union on pure electric vehicles imported from China.

The Seal 6 DM-i Touring will be available in three versions –Boost, Comfort Lite and Comfort-, combining a 1.5-litre petrol engine with batteries of 10.08 kWh or 19 kWh, which will allow it to enjoy a pure electric range of up to 100 km and a total range, when the combustion engine comes into play, of 1,350 km.

With dimensions of 4.84 m in length, 1.88 m in width and 1.51 m in height, the Seal 6 DM-i Touring offers a generous 500-litre boot for luggage, expandable to 1,535 litres with the rear seats folded down. This model also stands out for its fast-charging capabilities, with the state of charge being increased from 30 to 80 percent in just 23 minutes in the versions equipped with the largest-capacity battery.

Finally, it should be noted that in Germany BYD also announced the arrival of its ultra-fast charging technology in Europe, with plans to install between 200 and 300 stations with one-megawatt charging points before the end of the second quarter of 2026. These ultra-fast charging points, presented by the company in China last April, are aimed mainly at users of Denza vehicles, the premium brand of BYD, whose Z9 GT and D9 MPV models are capable of making the most of all the power they offer.

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackBYD Dolphin Surf3 versions · from 19,990 €