Chinese giant takes on the Renault Clio with a made-for-Europe plug-in hybrid hatchback
Perhaps no news story better reflects the surreal time we currently live in than the recent report that Iran was planning to deploy a pod of kamikaze dolphins in the Strait of Hormuz. Yes, apparently the seemingly lovable aquatic mammals can be trained to act as game-changing offensive weapons. And you thought Flipper looked so innocent.Maybe they got the idea from the BYD Dolphin G, because while this might look like a friendly new hatchback, it has actually been conceived by the Chinese giant as a potent weapon with a clear porpoise – sorry, purpose: to sink rivals in the huge European small car segment.The new Renault Clio and Toyota Yaris rival is the first BYD model developed specifically for Europe and becomes the only B-segment hatchback on the market with a plug-in hybrid powertrains. And a target price of £23,000 to £25,000 could help torpedo some rivals.Expanding its PHEV technology into smaller segments is a new trend for BYD: it recently retrofitted the related Atto 2 electric crossover with its ‘Super Hybrid’ technology.Executive vice-president Stella Li insists that the firm can only do so thanks to its advanced PHEV technology, which is packaged smaller than rivals, and on paper it is compelling.
