Teasers are all the rage these days. This time, it’s Chinese mega-carmaker BYD’s local subsidiary BYD Malaysia teasing an expectant motoring public with an image of its upcoming electric Seal. The teaser poster revealed online features the hashtag #SealTheSpeed along with the statement “Faster than your morning coffee.”
Hang on, we’ve actually already seen the Seal. At BYD‘s first-year celebration in early December 2023, the public was given a peek of the Seal in its entirety while it was still in Malaysia. And to be honest, when compared to the Atto 3 and Dolphin EVs that have already gone on sale in several markets, the Seal, with its sleek, sporty, Porsche-like design hints, is by far the smartest-looking, best-proportioned EV we’ve seen from BYD, and dare we say, one of the sexiest on the market.
The Seal, dubbed the “Tesla killer” in some online circles, comes in three versions for the Thai and Singaporean markets. This covers the AWD Performance, the Premium, and the Dynamic RWD, which is the entry-level model.
Performance-wise, the Seal Dynamic RWD has a single motor setup that generates 203 hp and 310 Nm of torque. With a single charge, the all-electric sedan has a range of up to 460 kilometres (WLTP) thanks to its 61.4 kWh LFP blade battery, the brand’s signature battery tech.
Similar to the Dynamic RWD, the mid-range BYD Seal Premium has a single motor arrangement located at the rear, but it has a significantly higher power output of 313 hp and 360 Nm. Its longer range of 570 km is also made possible by the larger 82.5 kWh LFP battery, although expect roughly 520 in the real world.
With a dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) system, the top-spec AWD Performance model provides the all-electric sedan with a gutsy 530 horsepower and 670 Nm of torque. For 520 miles on a single charge, the all-electric sedan runs on the same 82.5 kWh battery pack as the Premium model.
When it comes to charging, the Seal models are all capable of handling up to 7 kW of AC charging. In terms of DC charging, however, the Dynamic RWD has a maximum charging rate of 110 kW, with the Premium and Performance models boasting up to 150 kW.
Sime Darby Beyond Auto, the only distributor of the BYD brand in Malaysia, has not yet revealed the model or variants that will be available in Malaysia at the official launch, nor the precise launch date, despite having teased and previewed the Seal thus far.
OUR THOUGHTS
If you look at the order in which BYD debuted their first global batch of EVs—the Atto 3 then the Dolphin, and now the Seal—it’s easy to see that they were merely testing the waters with the first two compact crossovers. Now, with BYD’s name firmly on the map, it’s time to launch something with poise and performance, a car that can impress in the aesthetics department as much as it does from behind the wheel. According to BYD, customers have also received invitations to see their next potential all-electric sedan on January 19 at TREC KL.