BYD launches presales for the Seal in China

BYD has started pre-selling its Seal electric sedan in China. This means that the prices and technical data of the eagerly awaited electric car, which is intended to compete with the Tesla Model 3, are now known.

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The BYD Seal is available in four versions with ranges between 550 and 700 kilometres according to Chinese standards and costs between 212,800 and 289,800 yuan (currently equivalent to 30,150 to 41,050 euros). By comparison, the Tesla Model 3 with a similar range costs around 9,000 euros more.

The Seal, about which initial information was leaked in February, is the first BYD model with cell-to-body technology (CTB), in which the battery cells are integrated directly into the vehicle body. BYD, like Tesla, describes the CTB technology as a structural component and battery in one, according to a report by CN EV Post. The word sandwich structure by large-format batteries between two plates also falls, with the upper plate also forming the floor of the interior. However, as the German publication Teslamag writes, the battery cells used by BYD are hexagonal. Tesla’s 4680 cells, on the other hand, are round.

The BYD Seal, which is based on the “e-platform 3.0”, can be ordered in two rear-wheel-drive versions with an output of 150 or 230 kW and an all-wheel-drive version with 380 kW. Two battery variants with an energy content of 61.44 and 82.56 kWh are offered. These are chemical storage units with LFP chemistry. The maximum charging power will be 110 or 150 kW, depending on the version. The ranges according to the CLTC are up to 550, 650 or 700 km. A total of four trim levels are available, with two using the rear-wheel-drive version while the others upgrade to a 82.56 kWh battery and an all-wheel-drive variant for the most expensive version, resulting in a range drop of 50 km going from the third to the top version.

The Seal will be built at the BYD plant in Changzhou. The planned annual production capacity is 60,000 units – but this could still change, as BYD registered over 22,000 pre-orders for the Seal within the first six hours alone.

Update 16 June 2022

Shortly after BYD started pre-selling its Seal electric sedan in China, there is now more information on the production of the electric car in Changzhou. According to the city government, series production of the BYD Seal will start this month with a capacity of up to 15,000 units per month or 180,000 units per year. This corresponds to a tripling of the previously announced production capacity of 5,000 units per month or 60,000 per year.

Update 03 August 2022

BYD has now officially launched its Seal electric sedan on the Chinese market and plans to start deliveries in August. The BYD Seal, which is intended to rival the Tesla Model 3 among others, will be offered in four versions at prices between 209,800 and 286,800 yuan, slightly less than announced at the pre-sale launch of the model in May.

The current price range is the equivalent of 30,560 to 41,775 euros. BYD says it has received more than 60,000 pre-orders for the Seal so far.

This week BYD also announced its intention to deliver its first passenger cars in Germany and Sweden before the end of the year. It is not yet clear whether the Seal will also come to Europe: BYD will not provide details on the models for Sweden and Germany until September.

cnevpost.com, carnewschina.com, teslamag.de (in German), cnevpost.com (update), cnevpost.com (update II)