BYD is hard at work testing the BYD Seal, the second in its “Ocean-X” family of cars. Developed on BYD’s electric e-platform 3.0 architecture, the Seal is a sedan roughly the size of the Tesla Model 3. In order to compete with the Model 3, the Seal will likely have slightly better specs, performance, range, and pricing.
From the model displayed at the “Ocean-X”
event, we can see that the Seal will have a slippery, aerodynamic form; Even
though the front may look a bit over-designed, the stance and flow seem
attractive. Recently, someone spotted a heavily camouflaged prototype of the
BYD seal undergoing testing. Despite the heavy camo, we can tell that the
wheelbase is very long (2900 mm) giving plenty of interior space, good driving
dynamics, and nice proportions.
Interior-wise, not a lot can be seen. From
the spy shot, we see a large panoramic sunroof with sporty front seats. Long
rear windows suggest lots of room for rear passengers- something Chinese car
buyers appreciate, of course.
Measuring 4770/1860/1460 mm, the Seal sits
between the Qin Plus and Han. Not surprisingly, the Seal uses BYD’s
puncture-resistant Blade batteries; these give the car an 800V system with up
to 700 km range (capacity currently unknown). 0-100 km/h time is a neck-bending
3.3 seconds with the optional 4WD system. Production will happen at BYD’s
Changzhou plant, with an annual capacity of 60,000 units giving the sales
projection of 5,000 units a month.
