BYD has announced its new Sealion 7 SUV will start from £44,990, undercutting the rival Tesla Model Y by £2000.
It’s the brand’s first European model to use the new ‘Evo’ development of the architecture that underpins the existing Atto 3 crossover, Dolphin hatchback and Seal saloon, named e-Platform 3.0.
It uses cell-to-body construction (in which battery cells are mounted directly to the chassis) with a lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery and can support a range of motor configurations.
The entry-level Sealion 7 Comfort gets a single 308bhp, 280lb ft motor mounted on its rear axle, plus an 82.5kWh battery that gives a range of 300 miles between charges. The lightest variant weighs 2225kg and can dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in 6.7sec.
The middle-rung Design costs £49,290 and adds a 215bhp motor to the front axle. This gives four-wheel drive and outputs of 523bhp and 509lb ft, cutting the car’s 0-62mph time to 4.5sec. However, it also increases the car’s mass to 2340kg and reduces its range to 283 miles.
The range-topping Excellence is £57,290 and uses the same 523bhp powertrain, but it gets a larger, 91.3kWh battery, boosting its range to 312 miles. With this larger battery and extra interior kit (including nappa leather seats and a head-up display), the Sealion 7 weighs 2435kg. Nonetheless, it can hit 62mph in the same 4.5sec as the Design.
Both the Comfort and Design cars can be charged at a rate of up to 150kW on a DC connection, taking 32 minutes to go from 10-80%. The Excellence is upgraded to a 230kW peak, cutting that time to 24 minutes.
A heat pump (which more efficiently generates heat for the cabin than a conventional fan heater, boosting the car’s range in cold conditions) is fitted to all versions as standard.
Inside, the Sealion 7 gets a 15.6in infotainment touchscreen that is capable of rotating between portrait and landscape orientations and features a new voice control system.
