BYD, one of the world’s fastest growing car makers, has been spotted to have another new EV that will be making its way to its growing line up of vehicles.
This time, it’s the BYD Sealion 05 EV which was spotted in regulatory approval documents run by the ministry of industry and information technology (MIIT) and shared by CNC.
BYD’s newest Sealion will be slightly bigger than the Atto 3 SUV which has seen thousands make their way to Australia, coming in at 4,520 mm in length.
Powering the new compact SUV is a single-motor setup but comes with two options. The first is an entry 140 kW motor while a more powerful 160 kW option is also noted in the approval documentation.
These will help the car get up to a top speed of 180 km/h which is more than enough for a compact electric SUV.
These are very likely to be powered by BYD’s blade batteries which is made by Findreams, BYD’s own vertically integrated battery division.
Weight wise, the kerb weight is shared in the documentation to be 1,670 kg and 1,780 kg, making it one of the lighter SUV on the market, similar to ICE counterparts such as the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid.
The compact SUV has a sleek front and rear with slightly rounded outer headlights and a light bar connecting both.
From the side, conventional door handles are seen, along with black plastics that run along the length of the car between the wheels.
The rear of the car has BYD Dolphin-like design language, but of course in a high-riding SUV body.
Other key styling and convenience features this car could be equipped with include a panoramic sunroof, multiple radars and cameras, which are likely to be included as standard if this model is to head to export markets like Australia.
The Sealion 05 EV is the second vehicle in BYD’s lineup with the other being the BYD Sealion 05 DM-I PHEV which is slightly longer than the EV version as it carries an ICE engine as well as two battery pack options with capacities of 12.9 kWh and 18.3 kWh.
More details on the Sealion 05 EV, including battery sizes, pricing and expected release date is likely to be released in the coming months.
With such an aggressive product roll out and new models launching every few months, BYD is certainly on a path to becoming a top 5 automakers in the next 24 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.