BYD's tiny Seagull hatchback goes by four names around the world
In China it is the Seagull, in much of Latin America the Dolphin Mini, in Europe the Dolphin Surf and across Asia and Australia the Atto 1. The same small electric hatchback drew 10,000 orders on its first day in 2023, and a 2026 price cut made it the cheapest new car of any kind in Australia.
BYD revealed the Seagull at Auto Shanghai in April 2023 as the smallest car in its range, slotted beneath the Dolphin. At 3,780 millimetres long it is compact, yet unlike three-door rivals in the sub-100,000-yuan class it offers five doors and four seats, aimed at younger buyers who want straightforward transport. Stretching the wheelbase to 66 percent of the length and using BYD's slim Blade battery freed up cabin room, and the dashboard is shaped like a gull's wing.
Chinese versions share a 55 kW motor driving the front wheels, reaching 130 km/h and taking 13 seconds to hit 100. The two lower trims carry a 30 kWh lithium iron phosphate pack rated for 305 km on the Chinese test cycle, while the top one gets a 38 kWh pack good for about 405 km. Priced under 90,000 yuan, roughly 12,000 dollars, it drew attention from foreign reviewers, and the 200,000th car was built by late November 2023, seven months after launch. A 2024 recall of 16,666 cars for a reversing-camera fault was fixed over the air.
Exports began in 2024, first to Latin America; Brazil later started assembling it locally at Camaçari. The European model, launched in spring 2025, was substantially reworked, growing 210 millimetres longer and offering a much stronger 115 kW motor in upper trims. A BYD Europe executive called it a different concept that was still a Seagull, and it earned five stars from Euro NCAP. In South Africa it was the cheapest battery car on sale at launch.
A filing published in July 2026 showed a second generation 4,205 millimetres long, large enough to move it up into the supermini class.
Source: BYD Seagull
