Earlier this week, BYD showed off the second-generation Seagull (known locally as the Dolphin Surf) in China, promising some pretty impressive upgrades for not that much more spend. Chief amongst them is the Flash Charge system tied to the higher-trim models, allowing the Dolphin Surf to get to 70% charge in only five minutes.
Your move, South Africa
The catch? To take advantage of such charging pleasures, the car will need to visit one of BYD’s 1.5MW Flash Chargers, which have yet to make their way into the country. Back in October 2025, BYD VP Stella Li confirmed the company planned to install as many as 300 fast-charger stations in the country by the end of 2026. At the time, BYD’s chargers supported speeds of up to 1MW. It has since developed chargers capable of 1.5MW.
BYD’s head of marketing in South Africa, Steve Chang, spoke to Torquing Comfort in June, stating that the rollout had been slightly delayed to accommodate the new technology. These are still on track to launch before the end of 2026, first targeting BYD dealerships, though Chang didn’t confirm how many would turn up.
While BYD has yet to confirm the second-gen Dolphin Surf for South Africa, it’s certainly got the infrastructure to support it. And with how many Dolphin Surf EVs we’ve seen running around the streets of Joburg, BYD is likely hoping to capitalise on that success with a newer model. Assuming it can get the pricing right, of course.
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The promise of faster charging is likely worth it for those still on the fence. Long wait times at charge points are one of the biggest points of friction for buyers, particularly in SA, whose charging network is still playing catch-up.
The car gets its juice from either a single 85kW or 95kW rear motor, with an expected range of 420km on the CLTC cycle (357km WLTP) for the model with a larger battery. The more expensive trim packs a 39.2kWh Blade Battery 2.0, while the cheaper offers a 30.1kWh battery. The cheaper one drops the range figure to 320km (272km WLTP). While that isn’t overly impressive by itself, faster charge times should help mitigate the shorter range.
It’s sufficiently tech-y, with the 2027 model offering a 15.6in touchscreen, ventilated and heated front seats, and a 50W wireless charger tying it all together. We’ve attempted to confirm whether the second-gen Seagull (AKA Dolphin Surf) will make its way to South Africa in 2027, but hadn’t heard back at the time of publication.
