BYD Dolpin.

[Westy36]

I spotted one of these on the road yesterday.

There are some very unusual looking cars appearing on the UK roads these days. 

[Kremmen]

BYD insurance, a few months ago, was very expensive

A friend got a quote and it was £4k compared to his Mazda SUV that was £500

[madasafish]

Non availability in UK of spare parts?

[Kremmen]

Yes, I think that was part of the cost, BYD are really poor at supplying spare parts

[ColinS]

Chinese!  Wouldn't touch with a barge pole.

[madasafish]

Some Teslas are Chinese built.

[Kremmen]

Are they the ones that catch fire 

[Westy36]

The car was coming towards me on an A road. From front on, the proportions looked unusual and that's what caught my eye. It somewhat reminds me of a car from the 60's or 70's, but I can't put my finger on which one!  Any thoughts? 

[kevinivtec]

hi all i went to my local byd showroom in plymouth today purely just to look well what an eye opener  the BYD Seal £35000 install of home charge unit due to length of cable from front of house to rear garage block £1500 insurance quote for me  64 yrs full licence full no claims no points whatsoever no medical probs  £3850 fully comp ( my jazz presently with halifax £250 fully comp protect ncb courtesy car etc) reason i was told  byd has no spares support in this country( may get better over time) any accident body spares unobtainable and the insurance companies write them off  due to the batteries in the chassis!! drive the car out of the showroom  value plummets to half of price paid 8 yrs battery warranty  not good enough a journey  from plymouth to southampton cruise terminal round trip 350 miles not feasible you would have to look for a charge point on return hope you have the right app and its working maybe a couple of hour wait just not worth  the hassle and some now charging 79p per unit??? i spoke to a  service mech outside and asked what exactly is done on first and second service on the  BYD cars he said its basically checks and brake pad changes he said the service cost does not reflect what is actually done not worth the money but has to stamped for warranty  the local garage i use in plymouth will not touch BYD MG  OMODA BASICALLY ANY CHINEESE CARS  they said they will not supply them with  data for the cpu units only main dealership and you cannot get parts
The byd cars are too gimmicky  cameras warning for this and that  buzzers  and dings and bells all the time too much to go wrong and as for the turntable screen  nightmare  so easy to push the wrong button to turn from portrait to landscape mode just a gimmick to go wrong  my take is your much better of having a second hand low mileage  jazz hybrid, good mileage  easy to repair low insurance and good resale values and reliable byd would be horrendous to repair if they have the parts chineese cars no way never!!!

[Westy36]

@kevinvtec - what a fantastic response  I concur!

chineese cars no way never!!!

I'm with you 100%. Problem is, all manufacturers (not verified, just a presumption!) source parts from China these days. Mk4 brake simulator? So in the future, say the year 2044 and I won't be here to find out, I expect the majority of motors will  be "CHINEESE". If the BYD and ORA etc have a toe hold here, then history tells us they will dominate. It wasn't that many years ago the MK1 Civic was an alien and unusual sight on our roads, yet now, we love our Japanese motors.

[Pine]

I recently had a test drive in a MG3 - I was very impressed.  Great spec, heated seats, heated steering wheel, 360 degree camera, comfortable and smooth drive.  Insurance quote £572 fully comp.  I can get the top spec on the road with metallic paint for less than £19k. It has a 3 speed gearbox but I never noticed it changing gear at all, it was very CVT like to drive.  Looking at the MG3 forum there is no mention of anyone having a problem with the 12v battery.  However I decided to wait to see what the forthcoming budget brings for the motorist.  But now I think I will wait for my next new car until 2025 or even 2026.  So much is changing in the new car market.

[madasafish]

£20K off new Lexus RZ on Autotrader.

[John Ratsey]

Chinese!  Wouldn't touch with a barge pole.

The Honda e:NY1 is made in China https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/honda-eny1-set-be-renamed-upcoming-facelift but without the Chinese price tag.

[ColinS]

Chinese!  Wouldn't touch with a barge pole.

The Honda e:NY1 is made in China https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/honda-eny1-set-be-renamed-upcoming-facelift but without the Chinese price tag.

It's a shame that manufacture of many cars is moving to China. The Mexican experience was bad enough.  I liked the look of the MG also. 

Eventually I will look at a European EV, possibly a Renault.  But I am willing to wait a couple of years for things to stabalise.

[Westy36]

Well it took me a while to remember, but I reckon the Dolphin looks like an Austin Allegro!  Look at how far the headlamps are set in from the wings. Pure Allegro. 





I wonder which of BL's other fine design classics the Chinese are going to use as aspiration?