A week after BYD shook up the EV landscape by introducing cars, starting at under $30,000 with the 2025 Dolphin Essential variant, the leading NEV maker has announced the introduction of a more affordable variant of its popular large family SUV.
BYD’s Sealion 6, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) model from the brand, which has been very popular since launching in 2024, will see thousands of dollars reduced when its Essential variant lands, soon starting from $42,990 before on-road costs.
This is $3,000 below the price cut seen on the Dynamic variant, which was lowered to $45,990 from an original price of $48,990 in May 2024.
With those price cuts and the introduction of the Essential variant, the Sealion 6 now starts $6,000 below what it did in early 2025.
According to the brand, the new Essential variant was expected to be released later in Q1 but has been bought forward due to demand from ‘fleet operators and electric vehicle enthusiasts’.
BYD’s local distributor, EVDirect’s CEO David Smitherman said: “The BYD SEALION 6 Essential represents our commitment to providing accessible and high-quality new energy vehicle solutions to Australian customers. This vehicle not only broadens our range but also underpins our mission to deliver premium features, advanced technology, and superior performance at a competitive price point.”
“We’re delivering on our commitment to simplify the transition to new energy vehicles, notably with our fleet customers providing more options supporting them in meeting their sustainability targets.”
The Sealion 6 was the first PHEV model by the brand in the Australian market which was followed up by the BYD Shark 6 in late 2024.
It features a 18.3 kWh BYD blade battery which offers a pure electric range of 80 km.
This battery van be charged at 7 kW AC or 18 kW on a DC charger.
Paired with the battery is a 1.5 lites PHEV engine, that can deliver over 1,000 km of range on a single 60 litre tank of fuel.
The PHEV system which powers the front wheel which provides 160 kW of power and 300 Nm of torque, helping the SUV accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 8.5 seconds.
The Sealion 6 has a 5- star ANCAP safety rating, making it one of the more safer family SUV options on the market.
Orders of the new more affordable BYD Sealion 6 Essential variant are now open for deliveries in the first Quarter of this year.
BYD will also be unveiling the local variants of the Sealion 7, a fully electric family SUV in February for deliveries in the first half of 2025.
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.