The next stage in BYD’s plan for Australia’s electric vehicle market has been unveiled in Germany overnight, with the European debut of the BYD Seal U giving us our best look yet at the Chinese brand’s new mid-size SUV.
Sized to go up against the mega-popular Tesla Model Y (often Australia’s best-selling SUV), the Seal U is based on the Seal’s platform (BYD’s 3.0 architecture), and should arrive in two trim levels, and with two different battery sizes.
The 4.785m-long, 1.89m-wide and 1.66m-high SUV can be had in the UK with two different batteries – a 71.8kWh option that delivers a WLTP driving range of 420kms, and a 87kWh option that ups the range to around 500km.
Both models produce a solid 168kW from their electric motors, with the smaller-battery vehicle delivering a 9.3sec sprint to 100km/h, which increases slightly to 9.6sec with the heavier Seal U.
Unveiled overnight at the German motorshow, the BYD Seal U is the high-riding version of the brand’s Model 3-fighting Seal sedan, the latter of which has already arrived in Australia in pre-launch form.
Full details are still en route, but the Seal U is setup for DC fast charging, and will arrive with V2L (vehicle-to-load) capability.
While not officially confirmed for Australia, BYD has promised to have five new models – one of them expected to be a mid-size SUV – on sale here by the end of 2024.
