Sharp in the market
The Seal is the car with which BYD sets its sights on established names such as the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2. The BYD Seal was lifted onto the podium in April this year and now AutoWeek can be the first to tell you what the electric sedan should cost. .
Anyone looking for an electric sedan or liftback in the middle class can now choose from many models. Cars such as the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2 have been in charge in this segment for several years, but the threat on paper is increasing, especially from the Chinese side. Nio has the ET5, Xpeng the P7 and the Chinese giant BYD is also making a valiant attempt to gain ground on the fierce EV battlefield. In the middle class it does this with the BYD Seal. That car was shown in European trim in April this year and AutoWeek has obtained the prices of the BYD Seal. After all, BYD has already tacitly put this on its website.
BYD wanted to announce the prices at the IAA, but the price list is already on the importer’s site
The 4.8 meter long BYD Seal has a starting price of €47,990 in the Netherlands. For that amount, Louwman will hand over the keys to the rear-wheel drive Seal Design. One step above is the four-wheel drive and therefore twin-motor BYD Seal Excellence. That will cost you €50,990. In the second half of next year there will be a cheaper version under the Design version: the Comfort. It will, among other things, have a smaller battery pack.
BYD Seal: up to 570 kilometers electrically
The BYD Seal Design and Excellence both have an 82.5 kWh (net) battery pack. The Seal version has a 313 hp and 700 Nm strong electric motor on the rear axle that accelerates the four-door to a speed of 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds. This is also the Seal with the longest breath. Its range is 570 kilometers. The BYD Seal Excellence has two electric motors with a combined power of 530 hp and is of course even faster than the Design. You can reach 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds. Although you gain speed, you lose out on driving range with this version. At 520 kilometers, the Seal Excellence travels 50 kilometers less than the Seal in Design trim.
Fast charging is possible with both versions with up to 150 kW and both flavors also have a heat pump. The BYD Seal weighs at least 2,015 kilos and as an Excellence it weighs 2,150 kilos. Of course, you can fit the same amount in the back of both models: 402 liters. In the snout there is a small luggage compartment that measures 53 liters.
Equipment
The Design and Excellence differ from each other in more ways than just electric motors. For example, the Excellence has active variable dampers and the Excellence version offers Vehicle 2 Load (V2L) hardware with which you can charge electrical devices and a head-up display. The standard equipment of the Design version is already very complete. We mention: 19-inch alloys, an electrically operated tailgate, electrically folding, adjustable and heated exterior mirrors with memory, a panoramic glass roof, recessed handles in the doors, leather upholstery, a 12.5-inch digital instrument cluster, extensive ambient lighting, one with leather covered steering wheel, extensively electrically adjustable, heated and ventilated front seats, keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, pre-conditioning and an extensive set of passive and active safety systems. This includes a 360-degree camera, extensive adaptive cruise control, active lane assistant, various emergency braking systems, Traffic Jam Assist, front and rear parking beepers and so on.
Prices BYD Seal
| Version | Assets | Battery | Range | From price |
| Seal Design | 313 hp, 700 Nm | 82.5 kWh (net | 570 kilometers | €47,990 |
| Seal Excellence | 530 hp, 700 Nm | 82.5 kWh (net | 520 kilometers | €50,990 |
Versus competitors
And what about the BYD Seal opponents? In a nutshell we take a couple more. The Tesla Model 3 is available from €42,990 and for that amount you get a more than 10 centimeter shorter sedan with rear-wheel drive and a range of up to 513 kilometers. Price-wise, the Seal cannot beat that, although there will be a less expensive Seal with a smaller battery and therefore a lower starting price. The Polestar 2 – which is slightly shorter than the Model 3 – is available from €51,200 as a Standard Range Single Motor with a range of 546 kilometers. The BYD Seal therefore at least offers more range for less money than the Polestar 2.
The BYD Seal also beats the Nio ET5 from a purely price point of view. After all, the Nio ET5 is available from €50,700 and for that money you get the variant with a 75 kWh battery that gives you a range of 456 kilometers. The Xpeng P7 costs at least €49,990 in the Netherlands. Xpeng asks just under 50 grand for the RWD Long Range with a 276 hp electric motor, an 82.7 kWh battery and a range of 576 kilometers.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl