BYD’s newest lightweight EV reaches showrooms, prices expected from $A22,000

BYD, one of the world’s fastest-growing car makers, is rolling out another new affordable EV that will be making its way to its growing line up of electric cars. 

The latest model is dubbed the BYD e7, which is going to be a more affordable version of the company’s Seal and Seal 08 sedans, and has been spotted to have arrived at showrooms in China and shared by CNC.

Quite a few details of the model are known, but the prices are still under wraps. It’s expected that this model will land above the Dolphin and below the Atto 3 in the Chinese market, hinting at a price point of around $A22,000 in the Chinese market. 

For comparison, the BYD Seal comes in at just over $A38,500, making the e7 considerably more affordable, ideal for first time EV buyers or ride-share and corporate customers.

The latest model will be slightly smaller than the Seal electric sedan which is currently available in Australia, coming in at 4,780 mm in length. That’s just 20 mm less than BYD’s best-selling EV, the Seal locally, coming in at 4,800 mm.

On the powertrain front, it’ll be powered by a 100 kW motors which is more than enough for day to day commuting. That’s instead of the high-powered motors seen in the Seal which start at 230 kW in the entry-level rear-wheel drive version.

The top speed of the new model is set at 150 km/h, which is plenty for most city and highways across China and international markets.

Feeding this motor are two BYD lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) blade battery packs, which include a 48 kWh that can deliver around 450 km in CLTC range. This is likely to be just shy of 390 km on the WLTP cycle.

The second larger battery pack has a capacity of 57.6 kWh. That’s expected to deliver up to 520 km of CLTC range, or over 440 km on the WLTP cycle.

Other details such as the weight of the car have also surfaced, ranging from 1,499 kg to 1,566 kg. This is fairly light compared to the Seal which starts at 1,922 kg and goes all the way up to 2,185 kg for the dual-motor variants..

When it comes to the design of the e7, the front of the mid-sized sedan has quite a sharp front end with a very BYD sedan styling language seen across the profile of the car. 

The door handles on the new model are also more conventional but still appear to be more flush with the door for improved aerodynamics. 

This more affordable model will feature 16-inch wheels, which are in-line with its price point compared to larger wheels found on more premium models.

Having just arrived in the local dealerships, the all-new e7 is expected to be launched in the coming weeks, making EVs more accessible to consumers and larger business fleets.