Back in November 2023, at the Guangzhou auto show, BYD unveiled a new larger ground-up electric SUV, which at that time, it called the Sea Lion. Few details about the sleek SUV were shared at the auto show.
Now, more details of the model have come to the surface as part of the government regulatory body’s filing which according to reports from cnevpost was published by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in China this week.
The information shared includes details on the SUV’s powertrain which until now had not been made available. The BYD Sea Lion will be offered in single and dual-motor powertrains. They also reveal how the top speed of the Sea Lion has been boosted over the currently available Seal Performance.
Two single-motor options include 170 kW and 230 kW variants. Along with that, an all-wheel-drive version will have a combined power output of 390 kW.
For comparison, this is the same output as that found on the BYD Seal sedan’s Performance variant which is currently available for sale in Australia. That vehicle has a maximum torque rating of 670 Nm.
The current powertrain in the dual-motor configuration will help the Sea Lion get up to 225 km/h in top speed which is higher than the Seal that tops out at 180 km/h.
The last generation of the Tesla’s Model 3 Performance which was available in Australia can reach top speeds of up to 261 km/h on a track.
Like the BYD Seal, the Sea Lion will be based on the company’s in-house e-Platform 3.0.
Feeding the powertrain would be BYD’s blade batteries which are also expected to be similar to those found on the BYD Seal which is offered in 61.4 kWh and 82.5 kWh packs.
On the pricing front, this SUV will be priced at 200,000 RMB which equates to $A42,600. This is higher than the Seal sedan which starts at $A40,300 in the Chinese market. The top-of-the-range Sea Lion model will start at $A56,750 in the Chinese market.
Styling-wise, looking at the front, the BYD Sea Lion shares the design language with the Seal, although it is 160 mm taller which is expected to be a family SUV. The rear also resembles the Seal’s cascading light bar that runs from one end to the other.
There is also a rear-lower diffuser-like panel which gives the SUV a planted look. There is also a lip spoiler on the rear, further adding to the sleek family car’s sporty image.
Staying on the rear, the “Build Your Dreams” badging found on the locally delivered Atto 3 SUVs, now just says, “BYD”.
When it comes to the size of the Sea Lion, it’s slightly longer than the very popular Tesla Model Y, coming in 4,830 mm in length. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the vehicle has more space than the Model Y as that’s to be tested when the car makes it into production.
The Sea Lion sales and deliveries are likely to begin in the first half of this year, meaning more information on the specifications will come to surface in the coming months.
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.