In under a year of first customer deliveries, BYD has become the second best-selling EV brand in Australia. That’s all on the back of one model, an electric SUV, the Atto 3.
Now it appears another of its electric models, the BYD Seal sedan, has been spotted by an EV enthusiast, Samuel Nam, and shared on Twitter while charging at a DC fast charger in New South Wales.
This particular example was in a light blue colour which happens to be a signature colour for the Seal.
It is also a right-hand-drive model which is suited to markets like Australia, NZ, UK, Japan and Thailand.
Just saw BYD Seal at my local charger! Only two in Australia for testing. #bydseal #byd #seal #ev pic.twitter.com/fYjts47WNS
— Samuel Nam (@nutshell_films) May 15, 2023
This is a good sign that local testing of the Seal has begun paving the path of a potential launch later this year.
The Driven has previously reported that the BYD Seal sedan was spotted in Australia earlier this year which was camouflage.
The Seal has built up a bit of a following in Australia amongst those buyers considering an alternative to Australia’s best-selling EV which is also a sedan, the Tesla Model 3.
In China, BYD offers the Seal with two battery packs. The entry-level variant has a 61.4 kWh battery pack that will offer over 450 km of WLTP range.
For those opting for the long-range variant with a dual-motor powertrain, an 82.5 kWh battery pack is available. This pack is expected to deliver around 500 km of the WLTP range.
Performance from this variant is seen in the car sprinting from 0-100 km/h in 4.2 seconds.
In recent months, BYD has also offered an even more affordable variant in its local Chinese market. According to cnevpost, this variant is priced from the equivalent of $A40,850. Meanwhile, the top-of-the-range Performance version is priced at $A60,220.
The Seal is inspired by BYD’s Ocean line of vehicles which also includes the BYD Dolphin which has also been spotted several times testing in Australia over the last 6 months.
Many of The Driven’s readers have shown interest in the Seal so we hope that this is a sign that it’s not far from an official launch.
With interest in EVs on the rise, a new model in BYD’s local line-up would offer more options to drivers and we can’t wait to test-drive it on local roads when it does.
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.