2023 BYD Seal details confirmed

Australian homologation data for the 2023 BYD Seal electric sedan has been published online, confirming recently reported specification details for the Chinese rival to the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2 (which are also made in China), as well as the Korean-built Hyundai IONIQ 6.

BYD Australia is yet to confirm pricing or full equipment details for its Seal range ahead of first customer deliveries later this year, but managing director Luke Todd promised a “very competitive” opening price tag and revealed the company had received more than 10,000 expressions of interest earlier this month.

Official government data reveals the BYD Seal will be offered Down Under in three distinct grades including Dynamic, Premium and Performance, each with their own unique powertrain.

Starting from the bottom and working up, the entry-level Dynamic will be powered by a 150kW single-motor set-up. It will ride on 18-inch wheels as standard and tips the scales at 1922kg.

The mid-range BYD Seal Premium ups the ante with a 230kW motor – still mounted to the rear axle – capable of launching the slinky sedan to 100km/h in a claimed 5.9 seconds and covering up to 570km on the WLTP cycle.

Tare mass is officially listed at 2055kg while the standard rolling stock will comprise 19-inch alloys wrapped in 235/45 profile rubber.

At the top of the Seal tree, the Performance flagship will live up to its name with a combined power output of 390kW courtesy of a dual-motor powertrain which sees the 230kW rear motor joined by a 160kW unit on the front axle, simultaneously gifting it all-wheel drive.

The combination of 390kW and all-paw grip yields a claimed 3.8-second 0-100km/h time but the effective range takes a hit, dropping to 520km.

Tare mass of the halo model is listed at 2185kg in Australian spec and the rolling stock mirrors that of the Premium.

European equivalents of the Premium and Performance draw current from an 82kWh Blade battery, while the lesser Dynamic looks set to feature a smaller 61.4kWh unit yielding an effective range of up to 460km.

Being the lightest, slowest and inevitably cheapest member of the Seal colony, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to find the Dynamic features a more modest braking package than its siblings.

The entry-level Seal will come with 299x28mm solid front rotors and 317x20mm ventilated rears, while Premium and Performance variants will feature beefier 344x28mm ventilated front discs.

The Seal will join the existing Atto3 small electric SUV and the upcoming Dolphin electric hatch in BYD Australia’s model line-up, which will expand further next year with a hybrid dual-cab ute (followed by an EV version in 2025), a mid-size electric SUV like the Seal U and perhaps the pint-size Seagull electric SUV.

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