Why the 2024 BYD Seal U became the BYD Sealion 6

A marketing campaign to heavily link the Seal badge with battery-electric technology has helped prompt a late name change for BYD’s new Toyota RAV4 fighter in Australia, from Seal U to Sealion 6.

Expected to become BYD’s top-seller in Australia and critical to its extraordinary local double-double-double sales targets and product rollouts, the Seal U/Sealion 6 is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) mid-size SUV that employs the Chinese car-maker’s fourth-generation ‘DM-I’ petrol-electric powertrain technology.

The Seal, meanwhile, is a battery-electric mid-size sedan.

“That name [Seal U] was potentially going to be a challenge for us in market,” admitted the CEO of Australian BYD distributor EVDirect, David Smitherman.

“Because it was a super-hybrid we wanted to call it a different name. So we spoke to our colleagues from BYD and they said ‘yes let’s shift that name to Sealion’.

Smitherman confirmed there was also concern within EVDirect that just the ‘U’ portion of the Seal U name could be misconstrued.

“Our concern was that there would be confusion around what is the vehicle,” he explained

“The U could represent ute, it could represent SUV.”

The Sealion 6 is BYD’s first PHEV model in Australia and will be followed by the plug-in hybrid BYD Shark ute before the end of 2024.

They follow into Australian showrooms three successful BYD EVs – the pioneering Atto 3 small SUV, the Dolphin hatch and the Seal.

The Tesla Model 3-fighting Seal has proven a hit, with an average of about 800 monthly sales so far this year. Its total of 2384 sales in 2024 make it the third most popular medium and large passenger car behind the Toyota Camry (6307) and Model 3 (6865).

“Seal is extremely, extremely successful and we are getting traction,” said Smitherman.

“From a marketing point of view we are going to be pushing that quite hard – full EV.

“Then we have a vehicle [Seal U] that’s got a very similar naming convention that’s not an EV, so I think that’s going to bring confusion to market.

“So we figured let’s call it a different name that’s suitable, and that’s where we have come up with this.”

However, that doesn’t mean all Sealions will be PHEVs and all Seals will be EVs from this point forward in Australia.

“Not necessarily,” cautioned Smitherman. “I was just keen to make sure we had that break between that name of Seal and the Seal U.

“Things move rapidly in this brand and I am super-happy with that name because Sealion is a lot easier to explain from a naming convention and to market.”

The local name change for Seal U is just a taste of the naming convention contortions that seem a BYD constant.

What we now know as a the Sealion 6 is badged Seal U in Europe, where it is sold only as a battery-electric vehicle (although the PHEV is planned for introduction there later this year).

In China – where it is sold as both a plug-in hybrid and an EV – it is known as the Song Plus.

A next-generation Song Plus is due to launch in China in August with a new fifth-generation DM-i system.

In coming years that vehicle will eventually become the Sealion 6 here and, presumably, the Seal U in Europe.

But that’s far from all. BYD has just launched the Sea Lion 07 in China. Yes, it’s a two-word name and it’s also an EV.

And it’s also tipped to eventually come to Australia.

And just so you know – Chinese media reports on BYD future models say both a Sea Lion 05 and Sea Lion 06 are on the way.

In China at least, all Sea Lions (two words) will be SUVs. In Australia that policy will likely be carried on – although whether the name will be Sealion or Sea Lion is unclear. It is unlikely the Atto 3 will be rebranded as a Sealion/Sea Lion.

At the recent Beijing show BYD rolled out a new PHEV version of the Seal sedan called the Seal 06. Later in the year a model called Seal S will debut, but little is known about that vehicle.

Underpinning all this is a fundamental BYD naming policy that splits its cars into two brand series – Ocean and Dynasty.

Previously there was also the Warship series but that has been shelved. Models from that group have been distributed between the other two series.

And then you get into the three BYD sub-brands – Denza, Fang Cheng Bao and Yangwang – all of which EVDirect has signalled an interest in.

Rather than succumbing to the sheer weight of this product rollout and the confusion that comes with it, Smitherman was keen to highlight the opportunities.

“That’s the exciting thing about this brand, the speed we are moving at.

“We might talk about these volume aspirations and is it three or five models, but rest assured it’s significant and it’s going to be quick, and I think we are going to be a brand that will really move rapidly to transform the Australian industry.”

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