In February, a more affordable BYD Seal sedan was sighted in regulatory approval documents. At that time, this car was expected to start around $A32,300 in the Chinese market.
Now, the latest model has been launched at the 2025 Chongqing Auto Show, confirming key specs and actual pricing of this affordable sedan which happens to be much lower.
Prices of the new Seal 06 EV range from $A23,500 to under $A28,000, making it one of the most affordable full-featured sedan models.
For comparison, this is much cheaper than the Seal EV which starts at just under $A40,000.
The latest model will be just a bit smaller at 4,720 mm in length than the Seal electric sedan, which has proved to be quite popular in Australia with over 6,000 of them sold in 2024.
On the powertrain front, it’s powered by either 110 kW or 160 kW motors. That’s lower than the high-powered drivetrain seen in the Seal which start at 230 kW in the entry-level rear-wheel drive variant.
These motors are fed by two BYD lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) blade battery packs.
The first is a 46.1 kWh pack which powers the 110 kW motor that can deliver around 470 km in CLTC range. This is likely to be just shy of 400 km on the WLTP cycle, more commonly used in Australia.
The second pack will be powering the 160 kW version of the car and has a capacity of 56.6 kWh. That’s expected to deliver up to 545 km of CLTC range, or over 450 km on the WLTP cycle.
Charging both packs from 30-80% comes in just 24 minutes which is fairly quick given the affordability factor that comes with this model.
On the design front, the mid-sized sedan has a sharp front end with sleek styling across the profile of the car.
The door handles are more conventional but are more flush with the door for improved aerodynamics.
On the inside, there’s a large 15.6-inch infotainment screen along with a design that’s similar to the Seal sedan, bringing with it a sense of premium feel.
The Seal 06 has a sizeable boot as well as a frunk, making it a good choice for family car buyers not looking for a SUV.
The latest model also features BYD’s God’s Eye smart driving features which are starting to be seen across many of BYD’s new models in the Chinese market.
With this change, it’s worth noting that unlike the Seal sedan which has the gear shifter in the centre console, the new Seal 06 relocates that to behind the steering wheel.
That makes it a much cleaner choice, helping with improving the design of the car’s minimalist interior.
With the new more affordable model onslaught continuing from BYD in the first half of 2025, it’s clear that the company’s China and global market expansion continues, making it very difficult for other brands keep up as it aims to hit it’s over 5 million sales target this year.
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.