2024 BYD Seal U midsize electric SUV is coming to Australia next year

Chinese electric car maker BYD Preparing to submit A competitor to the best-selling Tesla Model Y Electric SUVs in Australia – 2024 BY D CELL US – To complete the passenger car model range in the near future.

Scheduled to hit showrooms sometime next year, the Seal U is larger than the small BYD Atto 3 and joins a midsize electric SUV segment occupied by the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Toyota BZ4X and Ford Mustang Mach-E. .

A spy photo of the camouflaged Seal U – identified by its distinctive LED taillight signature and rear window shape – testing in Sydney emerged on social media this week, and was spotted by Selling cars.

Talking to Driving In Sydney this week, Luke Todd – managing director of BYD’s Australian distributor, EVDirect – did not explicitly say that the Seal U is the mid-size SUV the company plans to introduce next year.

However, Todd said: “The ones I saw camouflaged are the ones coming to Australia. Whether they are Seal U or not, I can’t comment yet.”

While pricing has yet to be announced, prices for other cars in the class range from around $70,000 to $85,000 plus on-road costs, depending on spec level, battery size and number of electric motors.

Sold in Song Plus Champion Edition form in China, the Seal U borrows design and technology cues from the BYD Seal sedan, a Tesla Model 3 rival due to arrive in Australian showrooms by the end of this year.

In Europe, there is a choice of 71.8 kWh and 87 kWh ‘Blade’ lithium iron phosphate batteries, good for a driving range of 420 km or 500 km in European WLTP tests.

Driving I previously reported that all models share a 160-kilowatt electric motor capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.3 seconds with the smaller battery, or 9.6 seconds with the larger battery.

The Seal U is said to be able to fast charge 30 to 80 percent in 28 minutes and 29 minutes respectively for the 71 kWh and 87 kWh batteries.

There are hybrid versions of the BYD Seal U available in China – using its long-running ‘DM-i’ branded plug-in technology – but it’s unclear whether they will be available in Australia.

This will be BYD’s fifth mass-produced model in Australia following the Atto 3 small SUV introduced last year, the Dolphin city hatch and Seal mid-size sedan due this year, and the UT due next year.

Todd says the next phase of the company’s expansion in Australia will be discussed soon, and BYD Australia plans to launch “at least two models a year, and so far we’re on track to make that happen.”