Peter Lyon
March 19, 2025
The covers have finally come off with the first images of BYD’s brand-new Sealion 05 revealed in China. It will be the company’s smallest SUV and will be positioned underneath the Sealion 7 in its EV lineup. According to CarNewsChina, the first Sealion 05 vehicles are already arriving in dealerships throughout China, and the new model will formally go on sale on March 25.
Although official pricing is still under wraps, the publication claims that dealers have ordered cars from BYD for between RMB115,000 (about RM70k) and RMB135,000 (about RM83k).
With dimensions of 4,520 mm in length, 1,860 mm in width, 1,630 mm in height, and a wheelbase of 2,720 mm, the Sealion 05 is shorter than the Sealion 7 but taller (though narrower) than the Atto 3.
Many of the exterior design elements of other BYD EVs, especially those in the Ocean Series, have been carried over to the Sealion 05, while the taillights appear to be an updated version of the Seal 06GT’s.
The interior of the new EV is comparable to that of the Sealion 7, albeit on a smaller scale. It also incorporates a digital gauge cluster built into the dashboard and a 15.6-inch rotatable touchscreen infotainment display. We can’t confirm this as yet, but apparently the Sealion 05 has a refrigerator, a wireless charging station, and a frunk as additional features.
Drivers can choose from two available outputs from the car’s rear-mounted electric motor—either 190 horsepower or 217 horsepower. No matter the powertrain output, the top speed of both versions is limited to 180 km/h. Meanwhile the carmaker claims that ranges of 430 km and 520 km are offered by two BYD Blade battery pack sizes, 50.048 kWh and 60.928 kWh, respectively.
According to CarNewsChina, it will specifically employ the God’s Eye C system—a DiPilot 100-powered ADAS system which has a number of hardware components, including 12 cameras, 5 millimeter-wave radars for 360-degree blind spot detection, and 12 ultrasonic radar sensors.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
Whether BYD will introduce the Sealion 05 to Malaysia is still unclear, but if it does, it’ll probably slot in between the Sealion 07 and the Atto 3. Given that the Sealion 7 costs between RM183,800 and RM199,800, and the BYD Atto 3 costs RM124,500, the Sealion 05 is expected to be priced around RM150k.
