7-seat Sealion big moment for BYD

BYD must be feeling faily bullish about it ;a test and largest offering the Sealion 8.

It could well be a big moment for the continued growth of the BYD brand in Australia which has been enjoying runaway success.

Priced from $56,990, Sealion 8 is not only a plug-in hybrid but also the company’s first seven-seater, pushing it right to the top of the family shopping list.

BYD’s Stephen Collins says the addition of the larger Sealion 8 with the latest super, hybrid plug-in powertrain doubles down on the brand’s commitment to offer low- and zero-tailpipe emission vehicles that are priced right and made right for Australians.

“We are demonstrating with the Sealion 8 that advanced new energy vehicles should be within reach of larger families needing lots of space and flexibility,” he said.

Three rows means seating for up to seven or the flexibility to reconfigure the cabin to deliver up to 1960 litres of cargo space with the second and third row seats folded.

Sealion 8 lineup comes in three grades: Dynamic FWD, Dynamic AWD and Premium AWD.

All variants feature BYD’s latest DM 5.0 Super Hybrid plug-in powertrain with second-generation Blade Battery technology.

It offers more than 100km of pure electric range and fuel-consumption as low as 1.0L/100km — under the NEDC combined test cycle.

Combined maximum power and torque for the Dynamic FWD with 1.5-litre turbocharged engine and 19.0 kWh battery combination is 205kW and 315Nm.

AWD variants with a larger 35.6 kWh battery produces figures of 359kW and 675Nm.

Sealion 8 is equipped with nine airbags, third row ISOFix child-seat anchor points, third row emergency locking seatbelts, seatbelt reminders all round and electronic child safety lock.

Standard equipment includes automatic three-zone climate air, second and third row ceiling air vents, wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto two USB-C charging ports front row, with one USB-C and USB-A for the second row.

Sealion 8 DM-I Dynamic (FWD) is priced from $56,990 before on-road costs.

Sealion 8 DM-P Dynamic (AWD) is $63,990 and top of the line Sealion 8 DM-P Premium (AWD) is $70,990 — leaving plenty of wiggle room.