Is this the car to finally break Tesla’s stranglehold on the electric-car market in Australia? The folks at EVDirect and BYD certainly think so, with the all-new BYD Seal being officially revealed and its Australian pricing and specifications announced in Sydney tonight.
This new mid-size sedan is BYD’s direct rival to the Tesla Model 3 in terms of size, space and performance – but not price. That’s because the Seal undercuts its American rival by more than $12,000, with pricing starting at just $49,888 (plus on-road costs).
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That’s for the entry-level Seal Dynamic RWD, which is joined by two other variants in the range, the Seal Premium RWD and Performance AWD. The latter two are priced from $58,798 and $68,798, respectively. This is a shot across the bows of Tesla, with the facelifted Model 3 priced from $61,900 for the RWD and $71,900 for the AWD variant, a significant price premium.
BYD Seal Dynamic – $49,888
- Battery: 61.44 kWh
- Power: 150kW
- Torque: 310Nm
- Range: 460km WLTP
- AC Charging: 7kW
- DC Charging: 110kW
- 0-100km/h: 7.5s
- Rear-wheel drive
BYD Seal Premium – $58,798
- Battery: 82.56kWh
- Power: 230kW
- Torque: 360Nm
- Range: 570km WLTP
- AC Charging: 7kW
- DC Charging: 150kW
- 0-100km/h: 5.9s
- Rear-wheel drive
BYD Seal Performance – $68,798
- Battery: 82.56kWh
- 0-100km/h: 3.8s
- Power: 390kW
- Torque: 670 Nm
- AC Charging: 7kW
- DC Charging: 150kW
- Heads-up display
- Genuine leather-wrapped steering wheel and seats
- 19-inch Alloy rims
- Frequency Selective Dampening (FSD)
- Intelligence Torque Adaption Control (ITAC)
- AWD dual motor system
- Range: 520km WLTP
The Seal is built on the BYD e-Platform 3.0, the same modular underpinnings as Dolphin small car and Atto 3 SUV, and it features double wishbone front suspension and a multi-link rear end for handling to match its dynamic and performance names.
Luke Todd, CEO of EVDirect, BYD’s local distributor, called the Seal the brand’s “first luxury sports vehicle” and suggested it sits above the Atto 3 and Dolphin in terms of its on-road prowess.
The Dynamic and Premium are both fitted with a single, rear-mounted electric motor, with the former making 150kW of power and 310Nm of torque, while the latter’s outputs are rated at 230kW/360Nm. BYD claims the Dynamic takes 7.5 seconds to run 0-100km/h, while the Premium cuts that time to 5.9 seconds.
As the name suggests, the Performance AWD adds a second, front-mounted motor which helps to boost total outputs to 390kW and 670Nm, which in turn drops the 0-100km/h time to just 3.8 seconds.
Driving range for the three models all varies, with the Dynamic and Premium using a 61.4kWh battery and the Performance getting a larger 82.5kWh version of the company’s famous ‘Blade battery’ pack. Driving ranges for the three models are rated at 460km for the Dynamic, 570km for the Premium and 520km for the Performance model; all rated on the WLTP cycle.
Customers are able to order the Seal from the BYD Australia website, needing only a $1000 deposit to confirm their order. First customer deliveries are scheduled for early December.
