The BYD Seal is launching soon in Malaysia, as promised. This teaser appeared on the BYD Cars Malaysia Facebook page and it reads ‘Faster than your morning coffee – coming soon’. The caption asks ‘Any idea what we’re talking about?’ The answer is of course in the #SealTheSpeed hashtag. Dealers have sent out invites to car viewings from January 19, so that could well be the launch date – stay tuned.
The EV sedan was previewed at December’s BYD 1st Anniversary: Beyond Dreams Celebration event, exactly a year to the day it was first shown in the country. We were told Q1 2024, which we’re now in.
While the Seal shares a scalable platform with the Atto 3 and Dolphin, this one has an 800V electrical architecture like posh EVs such as the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT. Size wise, its 4,800 mm length and 1,875 mm width is just hairs away from the BMW i4‘s 4,783 mm and 1,852 mm. The BYD – a dedicated, ground-up EV – has a longer wheelbase though; at 2,920 mm, the distance between its wheels is 64 mm longer.
Expect three variants. The base version will be the Dynamic Standard Range rear-wheel drive, which features a single electric motor offering 204 PS (150 kW) and 310 Nm of torque, which gets the car to 100 km/h from standstill in 7.5 seconds. A 61.4 kWh Blade lithium-iron phospate (LFP) battery offers up to 460 km of travel (WLTP cycle) on a single charge.
Sitting in the middle is the Premium Extended Range, which also has a single-motor rear-wheel drive configuration, but with a higher output and battery capacity. Here, the electric motor dishes out 313 PS (230 kW) and 360 Nm, with a higher capacity 82.5 kWh LFP battery providing the car with up to 570 km of range.
The fast one referenced by the teaser is the Performance AWD with a dual-motor powertrain. Here, a 215 hp/310 Nm front motor combines with the 308 hp/360 Nm rear unit to offer it a total output of 530 PS (390 kW) and 670 Nm, good for 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. It has the same 82.5 kWh battery as the Premium ER, so some range is sacrificed for the extra performance – 520 km WLTP is quoted.
For charging, the Seal in its base Dynamic form supports AC Type 2 charging at up to 7 kW – with 8.6 hours to get the battery from 0-100% – and DC charging (CCS2) at up to 110 kW. Both the Premium ER and Performance AWD also feature 7 kw AC charging (15.2 hours), but DC charging is uprated to 150 kW, with 37 minutes needed to get the battery from a 10 to 80% state of charge.
Sales advisors at last month’s event suggested that estimated pricing will start from around RM180k for the Dynamic, with the Premium ER expected to be priced at around RM200k. The Performance? Around RM220k. So, what do you think of the BYD Seal’s looks, package and price next to the Tesla Model 3? More in our preview report and first impressions test drive.
GALLERY: BYD Seal Malaysia preview
GALLERY: BYD Seal at BIMS 2023
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BYD Seal Performance
WLTP Range : 520km
Charging : 7kw AC, 150kw DC
0-100 : 3.8s
Tesla M3 LR
WLTP Range : 629km
Charging : 11kw AC, 230kw DC
0-100 : 4.4s
Both around 220k. So if you want range and quick charging, get Tesla. If you want that extra performance, get Seal. #baikbelitesla gang pls start your engine.
but what is the real world tested range for both? I did a quick google, found a test I think in Au, stated BYD performance range of 406 KM. And another test in US I think, for Tesla long range of 224 miles = 360KM
You can check in EV-database. Max range recorded for BYD seal premium extended range (the RM200k model) is 690km. Tesla M3 long range even got 730km max. If based on average in our weather should be 590km and 563km for Tesla M3 and BYD Seal respectively.
Elok jadik gang BYD BanYak Duit
Not impressed. Will wait for BYD Walrus or BYD Sea Lion
U forgot ur tesla comes from gigashanghai
How BYD/SD chooses to price this will really make or break the sales, since this competes so closely with the Model 3.
enough with the tacky catchphrases….build your dreams, seal the speed….
No way lah….China is still China…. no standard lah drive BYD etc. best I put my money where people can see you driving an American or European car….
You as Asia fellow, seat in European and USA car still look cheap, you cheapen the car laaa….dont be rasis it will slap back your asian face
When it comes to quality, especially when it comes to new technology, Chinese automobiles are cause for concern. Despite how attractive it may seem, I am apprehensive about purchasing one. Still, whether it is German or Japanese, new technology takes time to settle.
‘When it comes to tech China are cause for concern’…Are you concern about the quality of your branded mobile phones or iphone? All made in China. No concern? Hahahaha. Sohai
Hello China making space station and space ship and passenger plane dy la. Even USA is sacred of her, Japan and German tech is falling behind China dy laaaa.
7kw onboard charger really sucks…and those 460km range on dynamic spec proved how efficient tesla made their car with similar size battery
In Australia, BYD seal base price just start at RM155K only, around RM35K cheaper than Tesla model 3 base. If Seal start price from RM180, then for sure it will not competitive at all, not even so call model 3 killer. But since get through reseller so sure price might higher in Malaysia, what ashamed…