The BYD Seal is one of the latest all-electric models in the BYD's pipeline, which is expected to become a major competitor to the Tesla Model 3 in China.
We already saw a few images a month ago, while today the first photos emerged, released by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in a catalog of the latest models ahead of market launch (via CnEVPost).
It appears to be pretty attractive looking car, with some design clues borrowed from the BYD Han (like door handles) and BYD Dolphin (like rear of the car):
According to the Chinese media, the BYD Seal belongs to the Ocean series and is based on the e-platform 3.0, first used in the BYD Dolphin, and recently in the new BYD Yuan Plus.
There will be three powertrain versions of the BYD Seal according to MIIT data:
BYD Seal specs:
-
Version 1:
rear-wheel drive
permanent magnet synchronous motor: 70 kW continuous and 150 kW peak
Weight: 1,885 kg -
Version 2:
rear-wheel drive
permanent magnet synchronous motor: 70 kW continuous and 230 kW peak
Weight: 2,015 kg -
Version 3:
all-wheel drive
front motor: asynchronous motor (induction motor): 75 kW continuous and 160 kW peak
rear motor: permanent magnet synchronous motor: 70 kW continuous and 150 kW peak
Weight: 2,150 kg -
Dimensions (common):
Length: 4800 mm
Width: 1875 mm
Height: 1460 mm
Wheelbase: 2920 mm
For reference, the MIC Tesla Model 3 - considered as a direct competitor - is a bit smaller: (L: 4,694 mm, W: 1,850 mm, H: 1,443 mm, Wheelbase: 2,875 mm).
We don't know the battery capacity and range. The battery most likely will be BYD Blade Battery (LFP).
According to CnEVPost, the BYD Seal might be officially unveiled by the manufacturer at the Beijing Auto Show in April. The expected price level is 220,000-280,000 CNY ($34,561-$43,987), which would be noticeably below the MIC Tesla Model 3 prices.
According to 42HOW's tweet, the top-of-the-line version will accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.8 seconds.
