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- BYD Sealion 7 is the SUV version of the Seal sedan
- Prices start at $54,990 excluding on-road costs
- Two variants on offer: Premium and Performance
- The dual motor version does 0-100 km/h in 4.5 seconds
BYD is expanding its product line-up in Australia with the arrival of its fourth electric vehicle, the BYD Sealion 7 (AUD$54,990 plus on-roads). There are more than 10 new Chinese EV brands launching cars in the country this year and they all aim directly at the top-selling and recently updated Tesla Model Y (from AUD$63,400 plus on-roads) which has struggled to continue its sales momentum in recent months thanks to a slowing in EV uptake and Elon Musk.
The Sealion is based on the same platform as the Seal sedan and will arrive in Australia in two variants:
- BYD Sealion 7 Premium – AUD$54,990 plus on-roads
- BYD Sealion 7 Performance – AUD$63,900 plus on-roads
The entry-level single-motor Premium variant has an output of 230kW and a claimed range of 482km (WLTP) so on paper it beats the entry-level Tesla Model Y in key areas despite being cheaper. Meanwhile, the dual-motor all-wheel drive BYD Sealion 7 Performance produces 390kW and has a range of 456km on the WLTP cycle. Conversely, this variant is beaten by the Long Range All-Wheel Drive Tesla Model Y in key areas including range (456km vs. 551km) and performance (0-100km/h 4.5 seconds vs. 4.3 seconds). Let’s take a closer look at the BYD Sealion 7 and see how it stacks up!
Just like the Seal sedan, the Sealion 7 has the familiar “Ocean” series design philosophy while a swoopy coupe SUV-like silhouette distinguishes it from others in this crowded space. It is quite big with a length of 4.8 metres and up front, you have a 58-litre frunk along with a 500-litre boot capacity.
Like many of the new Chinese EVs landing on our shores, the cabin is very similar and features the staple rotating 15.6-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You also get features like heated and cooled powered front seats, a massive panoramic glass roof, V2L, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a heads-up display, a 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system, a 50-watt wireless smartphone charger with cooling and more.
BYD vehicles in Australia are brought in by its Australian distributor EVDirect which currently offers the Atto 3 SUV, Dolphin hatchback, Seal sedan, Sealion 6 PHEV, and Shark 6 PHEV Ute.
The brand’s sales surged by over 60 per cent in 2024, further strengthened with orders pouring in for the Shark Ute.
“500 Sealion 7s have already landed in Australia and with over 5,000 expressions of interest registered through our website, we are well placed to commence immediate deliveries for our customers,” said EVDirect CEO David Smitherman.
Given the supposed “high demand” for luxury electric crossovers, BYD expects the Sealion 7 to be their best-selling all-electric car in Australia and be the fiercest competitor yet for the immensely popular Tesla Model Y.
When compared with their base trims, the Sealion 7 has more range but falls short on acceleration and interior space against the dual-motor Model Y. EV sales in Australia have slightly softened with tempered growth but BYD has been steadily increasing market share with its new products and is a threat to Tesla’s market dominance here.
List of Specifications for BYD Sealion 7 Performance
Price: from AUD$63,900 plus on-roads
- Drivetrain & Performance:
- All-wheel drive (AWD)
- Dual motor system (Squirrel Cage Induction + Asynchronous Motor)
- Front Motor: 160 kW / 310 Nm
- Rear Motor: 230 kW / 380 Nm
- Total Output: 390 kW / 690 Nm
- Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in 4.5s
- Battery: BYD Blade Battery (82.56 kWh)
- Range: 567 km (NEDC), 456 km (WLTP)
- Charging: DC fast charging (CCS2, 150 kW), AC charging (Type 2, 11 kW)
- Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality
- Exterior & Wheels:
- Wheel Type: 20-inch alloy wheels (245/45 R20)
- Panoramic glass roof
- Electronic hidden door handles
- Electrically heated, adjustable, and retractable side mirrors
- Auto-tilt side mirrors with position memory
- Interior & Comfort:
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel (heated)
- 10.25-inch LCD instrument cluster
- 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen infotainment system
- 12-speaker DYNAUDIO premium sound system
- Wireless Apple CarPlay / Wired Android Auto
- Wireless phone charger
- Driver seat: 8-way power-adjustable, 4-way lumbar adjustment, leg rest adjustment, seat memory
- Passenger seat: 6-way power-adjustable
- Front seats heated and ventilated
- Heated rear seats
- Dual-zone heat pump air-conditioning
- PM2.5 high-efficiency filter & negative ion air purifier
- Safety & Driver Assistance:
- 360-degree camera
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
- Lane Keeping Control (LKC)
- Lane Departure Assist (LDA)
- Emergency Lane Keeping Assist (ELKA)
- Blind Spot Detection (BSD)
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert & Brake (RCTA / RCTB)
- Front Cross Traffic Alert & Brake (FCTA / FCTB)
- Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
- Door Open Warning (DOW)
- Child Presence Detection (CPD)
- Driver Attention Warning (DAW)
List of Specfications for BYD Sealion 7 Premium
Price: from AUD$54,990 plus on-roads
- Drivetrain & Performance:
- Rear-wheel drive (RWD)
- Single Motor (Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor)
- Total Output: 230 kW / 380 Nm
- Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in 6.7s
- Battery: BYD Blade Battery (82.56 kWh)
- Range: 567 km (NEDC), 482 km (WLTP)
- Charging: DC fast charging (CCS2, 150 kW), AC charging (Type 2, 11 kW)
- Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality
- Exterior & Wheels:
- Wheel Type: 19-inch alloy wheels (235/50 R19 front, 255/45 R19 rear)
- Panoramic glass roof
- Electronic hidden door handles
- Electrically heated, adjustable, and retractable side mirrors
- Auto-tilt side mirrors with position memory
- Interior & Comfort:
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- 10.25-inch LCD instrument cluster
- 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen infotainment system
- 12-speaker DYNAUDIO premium sound system
- Wireless Apple CarPlay / Wired Android Auto
- Wireless phone charger
- Driver seat: 8-way power-adjustable, 4-way lumbar adjustment
- Passenger seat: 6-way power-adjustable
- Dual-zone heat pump air-conditioning
- PM2.5 high-efficiency filter & negative ion air purifier
- Safety & Driver Assistance:
- 360-degree camera
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
- Lane Keeping Control (LKC)
- Lane Departure Assist (LDA)
- Emergency Lane Keeping Assist (ELKA)
- Blind Spot Detection (BSD)
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert & Brake (RCTA / RCTB)
- Front Cross Traffic Alert & Brake (FCTA / FCTB)
- Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
- Door Open Warning (DOW)
- Child Presence Detection (CPD)
- Driver Attention Warning (DAW)
