You can argue that any and all of the freshly launched models from Build Your Dreams (BYD) is the most important in establishing the brand in Europe, but the Seal is a direct rival to the Tesla Model 3 and, in EV terms, that is Guy Fawkes levels of ambition.
Mind you, let’s remind ourselves that BYD is new to us, but it’s not to many. This is a huge company employing some 600,000 people across six continents, and which – amongst the solar panels, cars, trains, buses and more – provides the batteries for roughly one in five mobile phones around the globe. Plus, it can manufacture everything in-house from the cobalt free, lithium-iron phosphate LFP ‘Blade’ battery to the touchscreens, semiconductors, seat upholstery and more. BYD is not the work experience kid, here.
The Seal may be the most important model so far, then, and it also looks to be the best. From styling that gives this 4.8-metre long saloon unmissable hints of Porsche Taycan with a dash of Genesis GV60, to an interior that looks and feels smart, tactile and cosseting in a way that the more sparse-feeling Model 3 falls short of (albeit a way off the classiness of the BMW i4’s cabin), the Seal has the aura of a car that’s been designed from the off to be a European big-hitter.
Set to arrive in the UK from autumn this year, the Seal sits on the company’s e-Platform 3.0 and will have the option of a 308bhp single motor rear-wheel drive model, or a 523bhp all-wheel drive variant. Both are complete with an 82kWh battery that’s good for WLTP range of 354 and 323 miles respectively. Prices aren’t confirmed, but the Seal will be priced keenly against core rivals, so expect it to cost from around £41,000 for the single-motor model and £47,000 for the dual-motor.