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By Carsales Staff
Secret details for the 2023 BYD Seal electric sedan have been revealed ahead of its arrival in Australian showrooms.
While the Chinese challenger brand has yet to officially announce final price and specifications for the Tesla Model 3 rival, key information has been confirmed by homologation data published online.
The official government documents, for which all car makers have to submit prior to any vehicle going on-sale for certification against specific Australian Design Rules, indicates the BYD Seal will be offered in three model grades – Dynamic, Premium, and Performance – each with unique powertrain configurations.
The entry-level Dynamic will be powered by a single electric motor driving the rear wheels and producing 150kW. It will ride on 18-inch wheels and tips the scales at 1922kg.
The mid-range Premium also has a single electric motor on the rear axle, but produces more power (230kW), rides on larger 19-inch alloys, and is fractionally heavier (2055kg).
But it is quicker, with the documents indicating it can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 5.9 seconds.
At the top of the range, the Performance variant has a dual motor set-up with a combined maximum output of 390kW (from a 230kW rear motor and a 160kW on the front axle) that contributes both to a heavier tare mass (of 2185kg) and quicker acceleration (with a claimed 0-100km/h sprint taking just 3.8 seconds.
European versions of the Premium and Performance are equipped with an 84kWh ‘Blade’ battery pack that provides driving range figures of 570km and 520km respectively. The entry-level Dynamic has a smaller 64kWh battery with an estimated driving range of 460km
While BYD Australia has yet to officially confirm the above details, the company’s managing director, Luke Todd, has promised it will be offered with a “very competitive” price tag and admitted the brand has received more than 10,000 expressions of interest ahead of its arrival.
The BYD Seal will offer Australian consumers an alternative to the likes of the Tesla Model 3 (the country’s most popular electric car), as well as the Polestar 2 and Hyundai IONIQ 6.
The Seal will join the existing Atto3 small electric SUV and the upcoming Dolphin electric hatch in BYD Australia’s model line-up, which will expand further next year with a hybrid dual-cab ute (followed by an EV version in 2025), a mid-size electric SUV version of the Seal and perhaps the pint-size Seagull electric SUV.
Disclaimer: Images supplied by BYD Automotive.
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