BYD Dolphin's Advanced And Affordable Electric Cars Potentially Trigger Price War In Australia

Byd Dolphin debuted for the first time at the 2023 Automobile Barcelona exhibition. (Doc. BYD)

JAKARTA - BYD will soon launch Dolphin, one of its newest electric cars for the Australian market. However, the launch of the first mass-produced 8-in-1 electric powertrain in the world is predicted to trigger fierce price competition between automakers in Australia.

This potential was first reported by The Guardian on Sunday, June 18, as quoted by Antara on the same date. Dolphin's latest model is considered an affordable electric car but offers high-end quality in Australia.

In the Australian market, Dolphin's price is estimated at around 43,990 dollars or around Rp. 450 million. The price is cheaper than other Chinese car brands such as MG and GWM in circulation in the market.

However, some experts warn that Australia still needs better market policies to ensure healthy inter-factories competition and provide clear education to consumers about fair prices for any new vehicle model.

Behyad Jafari, CEO of the Australian Electric Vehicle Council, stated that the competition for cheap electric car prices will be even tighter, especially with the government's commitment to introducing fuel efficiency standards.

"We are seeing a decline in the price of electric vehicles. In the near future, electric cars will be available at a price of around USD 30,000 (around IDR 300 million). When the price reaches USD 40,000 (around IDR 400 million), we expect sales to increase rapidly," said Jafari.

Jafari explained that the price range is very different from the price of a popular electric car four years ago, which reached 120,000 Australian dollars or around IDR 1.2 billion.

Meanwhile, Chris King, CEO of Splend (a car rental company), argues that the decline in electric car prices in Australia was a bit slow when the market first introduced the premium segment before switching to a more affordable segment.

Unlike Jafari's opinion, King believes that Dolphin prices offered by BYD can have an influence or inspiration for many other manufacturers to introduce high-tech cars at reasonable prices.

"Over the next 12 months, I think we will see Volkswagen here and some other great products from Kia and Hyundai," added King.