Image: Andy Wana
BYD’s upcoming sleek electric sedan, the Seal, was spotted in New Zealand last month and then two BYD Seal vehicles were spotted charging in regional Victoria.
Now one of these Seals has been spotted by EV enthusiast Andy Wana testing near Newcastle in NSW. This time around it’s what appears to be the rear-wheel-drive (RWD) variant.
Given the photo was taken from the rear it also shows the large rear-diffuser sections on the lower end which has not been seen in many public spotting. At this stage, its unclear whether it would be part of the variants destined for Australia.
From the side angle, flush door handles along with the charge port on the right-hand side are also seen. From this angle, the car looks quite low to the ground and its sleek appearance really stands out.
After seeing this photo, one fan of the Seal responded: “Looks damn good”.
“Nice to see a proper sedan for a change that does not look like a science experiment.. 🙂,” said another.
Other EV enthusiasts also reacted to this latest sighting with a comparison to the leading electric sedan, the Tesla Model 3 along with the pricing expectations.
“I’ll be very very interested to see how this sells compared to the model 3. BYD seems to be serious about making sure Aus has lots of supply of its cars, and theyre serious about aggressive pricing – so if they price it well, I’ll be curious to see if it can match or outsell the model 3.”
The spotted Seal variant is more than likely the lower spec RWD version. It is offered in a 61.4 kWh battery pack that can deliver over 450 km of the estimated WLTP range.
There is also a long-range RWD variant which is equipped with an 82.5 kWh battery pack which can also deliver an estimated WLTP range of up to 570km.
The latest sighting also comes after BYD announced the opening of its Megastores across Australia to streamline the deliveries and customer experience.
On top of that, BYD has also recently announced the launch of the most affordable EV in Australia, the Dolphin, with prices starting as low as $38,890 for a single-motor car.
On the expansion of the BYD EV models in Australia, BYD’s distributor, EVDirect, CEO, Luke Todd last week shared that multiple new models were on the way which will also include the Seal.
“With four more BYD models slated for release and delivery in Australia by the end of 2024, the BYD brand will continue its exponential growth,”, said Todd.
These sightings and announcements are a positive sign of what’s to come in a market that’s ready to make the switch to EVs in a big way.
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.
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