BYD Seal U confirmed for release by mid-2024

BYD Australia has confirmed the BYD Seal U will be released Down Under in the second quarter of 2024 – and the all-new mid-size electrified SUV will be followed by another three new BYD models before the end of the year.

The news comes after months of camouflaged prototype 2024 BYD Seal U sightings along the east coast, the majority of which were later confirmed to be plug-in hybrids as opposed to battery-electric vehicles.

A Seal U announcement has been on the cards for a while now, given BYD Australia is testing and fine-tuning the products it’s interested in or planning to release to ensure they’re as competitive as possible here – something that will be crucial in achieving the Chinese brand’s goal of overthrowing Toyota at the top of the sales charts.

No details of the upcoming Seal U range have been released yet, but we do know the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid fighter will feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain instead of the full-EV systems that BYD is better known for Down Under.

In China, the BYD Seal U’s electrified system is based around a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine combined with an electric motor to output 145kW/325Nm, with the motor sustained by an 18kWh or 27kWh battery pack offering up to 110km and 150km of electric range respectively.

Those outputs can’t hold a candle to the dual-motor Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, which brandishes headline figures of 185kW/450Nm, but the Mitsubishi can’t match the BYD for electric range – at least on paper, given the Seal U’s numbers are aligned with the more generous China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC).

BYD’s previously sharp pricing suggests the Seal U PHEV will rival or possibly even undercut the RAV4 Hybrid on price (from $42,260), while comfortably coming in cheaper than the electrified Outlander (from $57,290) or Nissan X-TRAIL e-POWER (from $49,990).

As for the three other new BYD models set to come to Australia in 2024, one of them will be the long-discussed and highly-anticipated plug-in hybrid dual-cab 4x4 ute that we’re still yet to learn the name of, a large SUV of some description and some other mystery model that could slot just about anywhere into the range.

Local BYD bosses previously ruled out the Seagull city-car and new Yuan Up compact SUV, which narrows the list of possibilities down to either another medium SUV or a second large high-rider.

We suspect the mystery vehicle could be the BYD Sea Lion 07 fastback SUV, which would provide BYD Australia with a direct rival for the best-selling Tesla Model Y and inbound Polestar 4.

The four new models will join the three existing EVs in BYD Australia’s growing range, including the pioneering BYD Atto3 small electric SUV and the more recently released BYD Seal sedan and BYD Dolphin hatch.

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