Chinese EV brand BYD opened the order books on its new Seal electric sedan yesterday— and sold 22,000 units in just a few hours.
In just six hours, the newest electric car from Warren Buffet-backed BYD sold 22,637 units. That’s enough to make the Seal a success on its own, but when you consider the fact that a) that’s just China, and b) that BYD sold more Seals in 6 hours than Tesla sold Model S sedans in 6 months … we think that’s something else, entirely.
As for the car itself, it rides on an 800V electric vehicle platform featuring “blade-style” battery packs that are conceptually similar to what Ford is using in its own EV platform. Those batteries promise 700 km of range (more than 400 miles) on a single charge on the high-end Seals. Other configurations include:
China the Seal is available in the following configurations:
- Standard-range RWD Elite with a CLTC* range of 550 km starts at RMB 212,800 ($31,980 converted)
- Standard range RWD Premium with a range of 550 km starts at RMB 225,800 ($33,935 converted)
- Long-range RWD with a range of 700 km starts at RMB 262,800 ($39,495 converted)
- Long-range AWD performance version with 650 km of range starts at RMB 289,800 ($43,555 converted)
With a claimed 3.5 sec. 0-60 time from the 530 hp on tap in the long range AWD variant and a price tag that’s considerably less than the equivalent of $45,000 US (before tax credits and incentives, even), it’s easy to see why the good-looking BYD sedan is so popular. That’s our take, anyway— what’s yours?
Do you think the BYD Seal represents a real alternative to the similarly sized Tesla Model E or Model Y, or does BYD still have a long way to go? Scroll on down to the comments section and let us know.
BYD Seal Electric Sedan
SOURCE | IMAGES: BYD, SPECS VIA PAUL TAN.
