The Tesla Model 3 has been the best-selling EV in Australia in 2021 as well as in many countries overseas. Over the last 5 years, there haven’t been many EV sedans that have come close to the Tesla Model 3’s success.
However, that may change over the coming months in China, as BYD sets to launch its own ground-up affordable EV sedan today called the BYD Seal.
Sportier EV sedan goes on sale today
BYD is about to deliver its first batch of ground-up EVs into the Australian market over the coming weeks, but in its home market another important milestone is about to take place today. That’s the launch of one of its most important global cars, the BYD Seal.
From reports on its Chinese social media channels, the launch event is to take place on Friday, July 29. During the pre-launch period, the EV has already had tens of thousands of pre-orders.
Launches of vehicles are done slightly differently or maybe it’s just the way BYD does it. The BYD Seal is officially being launched after mass production has already begun for the China left-hand drive market. CNEVpost has previously reported production of the BYD Seal to be around 15,000 per month.
Priced to sell in volumes
I reported earlier in the month that the pricing for this great-looking EV sedan had been announced at under $32,000 USD for the base model. Directly converting it to Australian dollars, It comes to under $46,000 AUD. We would also need to add shipping, handling and delivery costs to that price to land the car in Australia before on-road costs.
The price in the local market has been very well received with tens of thousands of pre-orders. With plans to sell the BYD Seal, in other markets outside of China in the future, there may be a possibility of a local launch. This would be great for a healthy local EV market here in Australia with buyers having more options than ever as they make the switch to much cleaner EVs.
A video released by BYD and shared by CNEVPost on Youtube shows some finer details and close-ups of the BYD Seal interior:
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.