Less than a week after showing the first proper teaser of the Seal 6 EV, BYD has confirmed that the electric sedan will be launched in Malaysia on September 26. As we had previously guessed, this will be the first global market for the car, called the Qin L EV in China.
Marginally smaller (and presumably cheaper) than the full-fledged Seal, the Seal 6 EV is built on the same e-Platform 3.0 Evo as the Sealion 7 and is powered by a single rear motor. In China, the car is offered in three variants, with the base model producing 150 PS (110 kW) and 220 Nm of torque and delivering a CLTC-rated range of 470 km thanks to a 46.08 kWh Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery; expect a more realistic WLTP figure of around 380 km.
The other two variants receive a more powerful motor pushing out 218 PS (160 kW) and 330 Nm, as well as a larger 56.64 kWh battery providing a CLTC range of 545 km (circa 430 km WLTP). The smaller pack can DC fast charge at up to 84 kW, the larger unit at up to 103 kW; both can be topped up from 30 to 80% in 24 minutes. Unfortunately, AC charging power is limited to just 7 kW, although both variants do also feature vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality at up to 6 kW.
Measuring 4,720 mm long, 1,880 mm wide and 1,495 mm tall, the Seal 6 EV is just 80 mm shorter than the regular Seal and is actually five millimetres wider and 35 mm taller, although its 2,820 mm wheelbase is a full 100 mm shorter. As per that Seal, the rear motor frees up space at the front for a separate boot.
The Seal 6 EV is also less overtly sporty than the Seal in terms of design – not a surprise considering the latter’s performance. At the front, you’ll find slim headlights joined together by a silver bar – a telltale sign that this car originates from the Dynasty series instead of the Ocean range like the Seal, as the same cue is also on the Atto 2 and Atto 3 (called the Yuan Up and Yuan Plus in China respectively).
Down below, the bumper has a distinct X shape to it that’s mirrored in the rear, while the side features the Seal’s six-window glasshouse and sculpted sills with black trim running across. Finishing off the look are full-width taillights with the “infinity” graphic similar to the Atto 2, as well as an illuminated red BYD badge.
Inside, the Seal 6 EV gets a cleaner, less organic design than other models in the Ocean series, the dashboard being dominated by a flat, full-width gloss black panel. It also ditches the Seal’s discrete gear selector in favour of the Atto 2’s steering column-mounted stalk.
This frees up more space on the centre console for storage that includes dual smartphone holders (including one 50-watt Qi wireless charger), dual cupholders and an optional fridge under the front armrest. Also taken from the Atto 2 is the more sober three-spoke steering wheel design.
As is usual for the latest BYD models, the Qin L EV comes with the brand’s ubiquitous screens, including an 8.8-inch digital instrument display and a 12.8- or 15.6-inch rotatable infotainment touchscreen. Other features include six- or eight-speaker sound systems, power-adjustable front seats with heating, ventilation and driver’s side memory, a panoramic glass roof with powered sunshade and optional DiSus-C adaptive dampers (only recently added to the Seal).
One more variable concerns the price. The Seal 6 EV should be cheaper than the full-fat Seal (which starts at RM171,800), given its lower positioning and power outputs. However, it’s not much smaller and has nearly the same amount of tech, so we can’t imagine it costing much less than RM150,000. Then again, BYD is known to price its lower-end cars aggressively, so who knows?
GALLERY: BYD Qin L EV in China
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