The BYD Seal made its official New Zealand debut at Fieldays today, becoming the third model in the brand’s local line-up after the Atto 3 SUV and Dolphin hatchback.
We were there to witness the covers come off the fully electric sedan to which all of those in attendance were greeted with quite an attractive looking car. Don’t just take our word for it though because the Seal is also an iF Design Award winner and we can see why.
Three variants are on offer, starting with the entry-level Dynamic and mid-range Premium, both in single-motor rear-wheel drive guise. The range-topping Performance model on the other hand gets a 390kW and 670Nm of torque dual-motor all-wheel drive set-up, which gives it the ability to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds. Top speed comes to an electronically limited 180km/h across the entire range.
Underpinning the Seal is the same lithium iron phosphate (LFP) BYD Blade Battery as found in the Atto 3 and Dolphin. A standard 61.4kWh unit can be found on the Dynamic variant which gives it 460km of maximum driving range, while the long range 82.5kWh battery will feature on both the Premium and Performance, enough to travel a respective 570km and 520km.
The Seal is the first model from BYD that comes with in-house developed CTB technology which integrates the Blade battery into the car’s body to create a ‘sandwich’ structure. That equates to an overall torsional rigidity of 40,500Nm.
Overall dimensions come to 4800mm in length, 1875mm wide, and 1460mm tall, with the wheelbase measuring in at 2920mm long. There’s enough space in the boot for 320 litres worth of shopping, alongside a 53 litre frunk up front.
In terms of making the Seal your own, there will be four colours on offer when it arrives on our shores, including Arctic Blue (pictured), Cosmos Black, Aurora White, and Atlantis Grey.
Other customisation options such as the interior upholstery have yet to be announced at this time, but the Performance-spec car revealed today came equipped with leather seats and a unique line art trim pieces around the door handles and centre console.
The Seal on display also featured a panoramic sunroof and a rotatable 15.6-inc infotainment screen which features Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, supplying audio through a 12-speaker Dynaudio Performance Audio System. In front of the driver sits a 10.25-inch digital cluster.
Pricing for the Seal wasn’t announced today but we were told we only have to wait a couple of months before it’s confirmed.
Customers are currently able to place a deposit for the model at BYD’s stand at Fieldays from 14 to 17 June. The local website doesn’t currently show the model though so online orders aren’t yet available.
The first examples of the BYD Seal are set to arrive in the country by Q4 2023.
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