The BYD Sealion 6 is coming to South Africa within the next year, offering a range of over 1,000km on a single tank.
The Chinese automaker partook in the annual Festival of Motoring on the first weekend of September, where brand representatives revealed that the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Sealion is in the pipeline for early 2025 among a host of other models.
At it stands, BYD only has two vehicles for sale in South Africa namely the Atto 3 and Dolphin, both being fully electric. It hasn’t seen the success it would have liked since opening its doors in June 2023 and has therefore committed to expanding its offerings to appeal to a wider market.
The Sealion will thus be the first BYD in the country with a combustion engine, albeit one attached to a small electric powertrain.
What to expect
Looking at the Australian market which shares many similarities with ours in terms of specifications and features, the Sealion 6 will likely be available in South Africa in two specifications, mimicking the Atto 3 and Dolphin line-ups.
Down Under, the Sealion is sold in Dynamic and Premium guises, both featuring identical levels of creature comforts but wholly different PHEV drivetrains.
The cheaper Dynamic is equipped with a naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine generating 72kW and 122Nm, matched with a single e-motor with 145kW and 300Nm.
The entire system generates 160kW and 300Nm which is directed to the front wheels only via a single-speed automatic transmission, enabling the crossover to finish the 100km/h dash in 8.5 seconds.
Perhaps more important than performance is its frugality.
The Sealion 6 Dynamic gets an 18.3kWh battery pack that allows an all-electric driving range of 92km.
With the petrol tank and battery working together, the crossover reports an average fuel spend of 1.1l/100km and a maximum driving range of 1,092km.
In comparison, the Sealion 6 Premium sports a turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol mill with 96kW and 220Nm combined with two e-motors, one producing 150kW and 300Nm and the other 120kW and 250Nm.
Together, the setup pushes an impressive 238kW and 550Nm to all four tyres, allowing a 0-100km/h sprint of 5.9 seconds.
On account of its higher output, the Premium offers a lower electric range of 81km as well as a diminished overall range of 961km at an average of 1.4l/100km, though both are still admirable figures.
The Sealion measures 4,775mm long, 1,890mm wide, and 1,670mm tall, putting it into contention with models such as the BMW X3.
It’s certainly a looker, too, wearing a sculpted integrated grille, stylish LED headlights, a muscular rear, and 19-inch alloy wheels in a 10-spoke design.
Standard amenities in the PHEV comprise keyless entry and start, dual-zone climate control, a synthetic leather multifunction steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats with electric adjustability, two wireless smartphone chargers, a 10-speaker Infinity sound system, and a panoramic sunroof.
Up front you’ll find a rotating 15.6-inch infotainment screen supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as satellite navigation, with the driver getting access to a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster to keep an eye on vehicle info.
As you could probably have foreseen, the Chinese crossover is also filled with an extensive suite of advanced assistance programmes.
The highlights include adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera system, lane-departure warning with prevention, emergency lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, front and rear cross-traffic alert with emergency braking, blind-spot detection, and child presence detection.
The South African pricing and specifications of the BYD Sealion 6 will be announced closer to its launch date in early 2025.
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