Image: BYD Sealion 7 brochure
BYD’s highly anticipated Sealion 7 has had its local specs revealed, with two local variants on offer before the official launch later this month.
Andrew W, a BYD enthusiast on the BYD Sealion 7 Australia Facebook group, shared what is believed to be local specifications of the Model Y rival SUV.
The upcoming mid-sized SUV will come in an entry-level single-motor Premium variant and a dual-motor Performance variant. Pricing will likely start under $60,000, although that is yet to be confirmed.
Both variants will come equipped with an 82.56 kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) BYD blade battery pack with range figures of 482 km on the Premium model, while the Performance sees it cut to 456 km.
DC charging speeds of 150 kW on the correct DC charger, while 11 kW AC is on offer for three-phase charging.
The AC charging is a big bonus over other BYD models in the market, which are limited to single-phase 7 kW AC charging.
Discharging the battery to power other equipment is also available with vehicle to load (V2L) feature. A V2L discharge adapter to help owners power other devices when the vehicle isn’t being used.
On the powertrain front, the Sealion 7 Premium will be powered by a 230 kW rear-mounted motor delivering up to 380 Nm of torque and helping get the car from 0-100 km/h in 6.7 seconds.
According to the spec sheet, the Performance variant comes with 390 kW of power thanks to a 230 kW rear motor and a 160 kW front motor. This variant also has a towing capacity of 1,500 kg for those considering towing.
This powertrain setup will allow for a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 4.5 seconds while delivering a lower 456 km WLTP range. It also can reach a top speed of 215 km/h, which exceeds BYD Seal, which is capped at 180 km/h.
The Sealion 7 will also feature vehicle load (V2L) capabilities, allowing drivers to use the battery to power other appliances.
On the inside, there is a large 15.6-inch infotainment screen that can be rotated. This screen along with a panoramic glass roof and plushy seats, give the interior a much more modern feel.
Another important feature for many drivers is Andriod Auto and Apple Carplay which comes as standard features on the Sealion 7.
While Apple Carplay is wireless, Android Auto is available as a wired-only option for now.
For music lovers, a premium 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system is on offer, although it’s not clear if a subwoofer is on offer for a punchier base.
What is quite impressive is the amount of standard equipment on the car, which is available across both variants. This includes all the safety and security features that the Sealion 7 is jam-packed with.
The interior and exterior features are nearly all shared with the entry-level Premium variant. The only exception to this is the heated steering wheel and heated rear seats, which are probably not too important in many parts of Australia.
This model is also likely to be a winner when it comes to the space it offers. It comes in a 4.83 metres, which is longer than BYD’s Atto 3 and the Tesla Model Y.
Having said that, the Model Y eclipses the Sealion 7 which offers over 300 litres less space with just 550 litres available in the rear.
There is also a frunk with 58 litres on the Sealion 7, less than half the volume offered on the Model Y with its 117 litres capacity.
The latest model will be arriving locally in four colours which include Atlantis Grey, Aurora White, Cosmos Black and Shark Grey.
This car has been seen testing in Australia for the last 6 months. Less than a fortnight ago, it was also spotted without any camouflage in Australia ahead of its official launch in February.
With the specs of the Sealion 7 pretty much revealed, the key question will be the pricing of the new model. Previously, the company’s local distributor, EV Direct, has said that it will start under $60,000, with official pricing of BYD’s upcoming “best-selling” EV model to be announced in the coming weeks.
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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Can we also have some colours to choose from. Black, grey and white is not good enough
Why can't the larger range of colours be offered and let the customers decide. At least the 3 or so plain colours help a thriving car wrap industry stay alive.
PRICING IS EVERYTHING. This car sells for an equivalent of AU$42K in China, and shipping should not cost more than 5k, meaning it should be priced below $50k.
To price this car at the same or more than the regular (non-Launch) Tesla Model Y is just totally absurd, because make no mistake, this is a very inferior car technically. Much heavier, no one-pedal driving, limited range, high consumption, infuriatingly intrusive ADAS, vague and disconnected feeling steering, old BYD battery tech, no white seats in Oz version, too much easily-scratched piano black shiny plastic around wheels and elsewhere, looks cheap and nasty.
Price it right and the buyers will be there in droves. 👍
Agreed. The mark up prices are not justified given we have no tariffs and the only expense is shipping. And given BYD now have a flotilla of their very own low emissions (therefore low cost) RORO ships that can carry about 10,000 units each I doubt it would even cost them 5k to ship.
Australian Importer is very greedy so don't expect a reasonable price.
i was talking to a BYD sealion 6 PHEV owner and he already regrets not getting an EV instead. I am sure he isn't the only one.
Why? No, that's a genuine question
Because the average Australian only needs to charge their EV every week or so. They need to charge a PHEV every single night.
my recharging situation is different as I live about 70km from Newcastle so a round trip consumes 40%-45% of my Ioniq 5 battery as mostly highway driving.
Using the cars granny charger allow sus to recharge to 80% within 3 nights using the AGL EV Night Saver plan rate of 8c/kWh as recharge rate is only 2 kWh (3 nights @ ~12kW per night = 36 kW total)
We are getting a wall charger soon to triple the recharge rate to ~7kWh which should replenish a round trip to the big smoke in 1 night.
We still get a feed in tariff credit for our excess solar of 5c/kWh so the cost to recharge the EV actually works out to be less than 8c in fact. We have decided to remain with current number of solar panels (only a 5.3kW system size) and take some time to assess whether we need to expand the system capacity but are mindful of the incoming Solar Soaker tariff that Essential Energy will be adding to our exporting bills from July 2028 onwards.
We were thinking of getting a V2G-capable EV charger now to get ready for V2G but we do not know yet if Hyundai will retrofit a 2023 Ioniq 5 with V2H/V2G capability, nor how incentivising the V2G plans will be.
Don't expect retrofit from Hyundai. Consider a battery including/instead of more panels and checkout Amber electric retailer. We are more rural than you and are finding solar plus battery plus Amber plus chargeHQ a huge benefit
And, due to it's smaller kWh capacity, a PHEV battery will go through it's cycle life multiple times faster than a BEV battery pack.
He mentioned that over the last 6 months or so he has only filled it up once. New PHEV owners tend to drive in EV mode as much as possible and charge it up frequently to keep that going, so why have a PHEV. He said wifey wanted hybrid although he was against that idea.
With Mitsubishi's future uncertain and the FBT eligibility for PHEV ending in 7 weeks why would you bother. You will be stuck with a DVD burner to backup your data or a VHS player to watch movies.
If only it went a bit further in range for Australia. Actually a bit less than a n old Hyundai Kona EV. Yes, I know it's much heavier, etc. But BYD should see if they can work out a way to put a bigger battery in it.
I don’t see a need for a bigger battery. My Polestar 2 has about the same range and slightly slower charge speed and I have never found the range an issue on my many trips around the east coast. By the time I am needing a charge I also need a break and the car is usually charged enough for the next leg before I am ready to continue.
Pretty sure Tesla measure rear space to the roof, but other manufacturers measure to seat level.
In banana boxes
Sealion7 = 25
Model Y = 26
Still think the Model Y is a safer choice particularly when you factor in BYDs problematic charging standards in Australia.
Only way to know for sure is to measure yourself when able to. Personally I'd take claimed space as being close enough. Tesla is known for being very good in frunk and bootspace department.
Poor range for the battery size.
Do these specs come from BYD/EVDirect? Or are they entirely taken from an unofficial post in some Facebook group?
I was wondering the same thing, looks very much like the European spec, especially quoting 3 phase AC.
EV Direct has a lot of thinking to do from pricing perspective..it has to be very compelling otherwise buyer will either buy Xpeng G6 or Model Y. As for me, im waiting for the Zeeker X7
Disappointing range from an 82kWh battery pack ... and the probable price is too expensive.
It's time for comparisons to be made with sustainable choices. Tesla's CEO has spent years telling his employees to not bother him.....and he told everyone that the car is irrelevant because it was now transitioning to be an energy company. Why should anyone continue to believe that the Auto division will keep producing totally new and varied choices ?. Choices are required for continue production....not just talk. BYD, MG/SAIC, GWM etc will own the free trade markets ..... but will Tesla still be around ?.