BYD Seal U not coming to NZ as a BEV

BYD Auto New Zealand is set to introduce another fully electric SUV to New Zealand, but it won’t be the Seal U, as reported in the media.

EVs and Beyond has been informed by a BYD spokesperson that the Seal U will only be available in New Zealand as a plug-in hybrid vehicle, not electric, as claimed by Stuff.co.nz.

The electric version of the Seal U is not being built in right-hand drive.

A Seal U has arrived in New Zealand for evaluation, appearing in December registration statistics. Upon closer inspection of the data, the model that has landed is registered as a petrol plug-in vehicle.

This is not to say it isn’t a strong option in the market. While essentially an updated three-year-old vehicle, it features the brand’s exciting DM-i drivetrain. With front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options set to come to New Zealand, the Seal U features an 18.3kWh LFP ‘Blade’ battery providing an EV-only range of 100km or over 1000km in hybrid mode.

The Seal U is predominantly driven by its electric motors, with the petrol unit only being used to generate or provide drive at higher speeds.

It is expected to offer a rated fuel economy of 1.2 litres per 100km and CO2 emissions of around 40 grams per 100km.

Maximum power on the top model could be as high as 360kW for the combined drivetrain, with 770Nm of torque.

The issue for BYD Auto NZ? It was not developed from the ground up as an electric vehicle; BYD developed it at the request of the European market. BYD NZ states that it would prefer to stick to platforms designed for a specific purpose and the advantages they bring, where possible.

Instead, the spokesperson says it will bring Sea Lion, also known as the Sea Lion 07, to New Zealand this year as its next SUV model.

The Sea Lion features next-generation BYD technology, such as its DiSus active suspension and body control system, showcased at the brand’s ‘Dream Week’ event in China recently.

The Sea Lion shares its cell-to-body platform with the Seal and uses the same drivetrains as the sedan, meaning rear-wheel drive options starting at 150kW of power and an all-wheel drive with 380kW. Battery options include 71.8kWh and 87kWh LFP units, providing a range under China’s optimistic CLTC system of up to 602km.

The Sea Lion closely approximates the Tesla Model Y in size, being 20mm longer but 10mm narrower. It also has a sportier coupe-SUV sibling, the BYD Song L.

BYD has indicated it will launch four models in New Zealand this year, with the Seal U, Sea Lion, and plug-in hybrid ute making up three of them – the fourth model is unclear at this stage.