The new BYD Sealion 7 goes on sale in South Africa today at a starting price of R1,099,900, becoming yet another entry in the growing roster of R1-million-plus Chinese autos in South Africa.
The battery-electric SUV is available in two flavours comprising the rear-wheel-drive (RWD) Premium and the all-wheel-drive (AWD) Performance.
It becomes the fourth electric vehicle (EV) and sixth model overall in the automaker’s domestic portfolio, launching simultaneously alongside the hybrid Shark 6 bakkie and Sealion 6 SUV.
Sealion 7 specs
Both the new Sealion 7 variants feature an 82.56kWh battery pack which is good for a driving range of 482km on the RWD and 456km on the AWD option as measured on WLTP standards.
“Therefore, for short-distance daily commutes, a full charge could last up to 10 days,” said BYD.
The battery pack supports a maximum 150kW DC charging current which should allow for a 20-80% charge within 30 minutes, as well as an 11kW AC cable for at-home top-ups.
Vehicle-to-Load functionality is another key selling point, as it allows owners to use unspent battery power to charge and operate external electronic devices.
The Premium trim then gets one e-motor at the rear with 230kW and 380Nm on tap, allowing it to sprint to 100km/h in 6.7 seconds.
The AWD Performance sees a second e-motor situated at the front for a combined total output of 390kW and 690Nm, which sees it eclipse triple digits in a quicker 4.5 seconds.
Maximum speed for both is pegged at a decent 215km/h.
Every Sealion 7 is delivered at the very least with keyless entry and push-button start, dual-zone climate control, electric front seats with heating and ventilation, a leather multifunction steering wheel, a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, a 50W wireless phone charger, a rotating 15.6-inch media hub with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12-speaker Dynaudio stereo, multi-colour ambient lighting, a panoramic sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, and automatic LED lights with high-beam assist and daytime running lights.
This is on top of an extensive assortment of safety and assistance systems like hill-start assist control, tyre-pressure monitoring, front and rear parking sensors, 360-degree cameras, blind-spot detection, door-open warning, intelligent cruise control, predictive collision warning, automatic emergency braking, front and rear cross-traffic alert with braking, lane-departure warning, emergency lane-keep assist, and lane-centering assist.
Owners are also able to link their smartphone to the SUV to function as a remote key.
Apart from the AWD foundation, the only items setting apart the pricier Performance from the more affordable Premium grade are Nappa leather seat material as opposed to imitation leather, a heads-up display, a foot sensor for the boot, and 20-inch alloys in place of 19-inch ones.
The Sealion 7 measures 4,830mm (L) by 1,925mm (W) by 1,620mm (H), putting it in the ballpark of models such as the seven-seater Kia Sorento.
Rear boot space comes in at 500 litres, while the front trunk swallows an additional 58 litres.
Price
The South African pricing and model line-up for the new BYD Sealion 7 are as follows:
- BYD Sealion 7 Premium RWD – R1,099,900
- BYD Sealion 7 Performance AWD – R1,299,900
It’s expected to be covered by the same 5-year/100,000km warranty and maintenance plan and 8-year/150,000km battery warranty as its BYD-badged siblings.
Both versions of the SUV also come with a 7KW wallbox charger and a 2.2KW portable charger at no additional cost.
BYD Sealion 7
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