Before BYD even delivers orders of its Atto 3 EV, the company has already moved on to its next electric car: the Seal.
What’s more, is that we now know the BYD Seal is going to come to Australia, EVDirect confirmed to Gizmodo Australia on Tuesday. EVDirect is the local distributor of BYD vehicles. They also said that local orders should begin in 2022.
I’m personally very excited about the BYD Seal. It could end up being quite the Model 3 competitor.
So, how about we dive into the BYD Seal and see what makes it so special?
The BYD Seal
The BYD Seal is the second electric sedan from the Chinese automaker. Though BYD has made petrol engine vehicles before, it’s pivoting to electric-only with its new cars.
The Seal went on sale in China on July 29, supposedly racking up more than 110,000 preorders in a month. That’s quite high demand, similar to the BYD Atto 3 (the first BYD consumer vehicle in Australia, which currently has 3,500 vehicles under order according to the local distributor) but for the moment, it’s only for sale in China.
BYD Seal specs
Specs for the BYD Seal are as follows, according to EV website CNEVPost. Please keep in mind that specs may differ when the car comes to Australia.
The car is 5 metres long, 1.9 metres wide and 1.5 metres tall, with a wheelbase of 3 metres.
The weight of the entry-level model is 1,885kg, whereas the more powerful model weighs 2,015kg, and the AWD model weighs 2,150kg.
Internally, it features a centre-console display and a behind-wheel display.
BYD Seal range
According to Top Electric SUV, the standard model 61.4kWh BYD Seal will be capable of 550km (CLTC) range, with a 0-100km/h speed of 7.5 seconds.
The more powerful 82.5kWh version is said to be capable of 650km (CLTC) range, with a 0-100km/h speed of 5.9 seconds.
Additionally, the AWD variant can do 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds with the same 82.5kWh battery.
The BYD Seal is the first vehicle from the carmaker to use “cell to body” technology, allowing the battery to be a part of the body.
BYD Seal price
The BYD is an EV that exists on the cheaper end of the scale, hopefully below $60,000 once it comes to Australia.
According to Inside EVs, the entry-level BYD Seal starts at 222,274 CNY, which comes through to about $46,785 in Australia.
The bigger battery model starts at 259,800 CNY, or about $54,879 in Australian dollars.
The powerful AWD version starts at 286,800 CNY, converting to $60,361 in Australia.
With these price conversions, please keep in mind that Australian buyers would likely be subject to a higher price. The higher price usually comes from shipping and import fees.
With prices ranging from $46,000 all the way up to $60,000, it’s difficult to pin down a price for the Seal. We’re not going to predict which models may or may not come to Australia, nor the potential price.
BYD Seal Australia release date
A timeframe hasn’t been specified by EVDirect, although we’d expect the car to come to Australia sometime in the first half of 2023.
EVDirect still has to fulfil all of those Atto 3 deliveries, and after that, the Dolphin should make its way here.
We’re stoked for the Seal: it’s nice to see a new electric sedan. I just hope it keeps the name (the Atto 3 is named differently from its Chinese counterpart, BYD Yuan Plus).
While you’re here, why not check out our list of every new EV in Australia, or every electric vehicle coming to Australia.