BYD Seal electric sportscar to rival Tesla Model 3 confirmed for Australia

An all-electric sports car from China EV giant that might – speculatively – be dubbed the “Atto 4” has been confirmed for Australia, and is slated to arrive from the second quarter of 2023.

Specifications and images of BYD’s latest EV offering emerged on Monday, showing a first glimpse of the high-specced sportscar which CEO of BYD importer EV Direct Luke Todd says is not only aimed at the Tesla Model 3 market, but also the entire sports car segment.

The sleek four-door forms a part of the EV maker’s Ocean series, and joins the Dolphin hatch (likely named the Atto 2 when it arrives locally), which is also confirmed for Australia.

The BYD Seal is “100% coming to Australia,” Todd told The Driven. “We soon will be able to release dates and pricing, and will be targeting for deliveries around March 2023 with pre-orders opening around October.”

It will sit higher in the pricing spectrum than the Atto 3, a compact electric SUV launched in Sydney in February.

“It is  a higher specced car,” said Todd. “It’s a sports sedan with extremely high performance that can do 0-100 in 3.9 seconds.”

Images leaked by CNEV Post on Monday show flush door handles reminiscent of the BYD Han, and reveal that window bezels will be available in either black or silver.

A full running light across the back below the “Build Your Dreams” logo echoes that of the Atto 3, while the front is – as with many EVs today – devoid of a large grille although air intakes are prominent on either side of the number plate.

According to CNEV Post, the expected price level is 220,000-280,000 CNY ($A48,070-$61,180 converted), which would be noticeably below the Shanghai-made Tesla Model 3 prices.

Todd also revealed the reason for holding off on a BYD Han launch. He believes the Seal “will be attractive to entire automotive sector looking for high-performance sports sedan,” and that the company can comfortably sell 15,000 units a year.

“It’s a highly exciting sports sedan,” he says. “It’s not just a Model 3 rival but a rival to sports sedans across market, well above $100,000 in some cases.”

And that is the inventory that EV Direct has secured for Australian roads, he says. As with the Atto 3, the right-hand-drive Seal will be made on a dedicated assembly line for the Australian market after EV Direct collaborates on refining for local roads later this year.

By October, at least one RHD Seal will be  in Australia ahead of a local launch.

Specifications revealed by CNEV Post that it says were sourced from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) include size and power.

There are three specifications listed with the MIIT including two rear-wheel drive variants and a dual-motor variant. It is shorter than the Han and slightly longer than the Model 3 at 4,800mm long, and is 1,875mm wide and 1,460mm high. (The Han as a length, width and height of 4,980 mm, 1,910 mm and 1,495 mm, while the Model 3 is 4,694mm long, 1,850mm wide and 1,443mm high.)

Specs include:

• RWD 1
  Permanent magnet synchronous motor: 70 kW continuous and 150 kW peak
  Weight: 1,885 kg
• RWD 2
  Permanent magnet synchronous motor: 70 kW continuous and 230 kW peak
  Weight: 2,015 kg
• AWD
  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

It also appears there will be a range of rims to choose from. Todd also confirmed that the Seal will also have vehicle-to-load, and it will also be fitted on the BYD e-platform 3.0 with Blade battery.

This article has been updated with information about speculative pricing and renaming.