China's BYD Lowers today rolled out a Glory Edition update for the all-electric Seal EV, allowing for a lower starting price, continuing what it’s been doing for the past month.
The Seal EV Glory Edition starts at RMB 179,800 (25,000),
down RMB 10,000, or 5.27 percent, from its predecessor’s RMB 189,800.
The Seal is the flagship sedan of BYD’s Ocean series, and
the new energy vehicle (NEV) maker’s other lineup is the Dynasty series.
Initially launched in China on July 29, 2022, the BYD Seal
was first offered only in battery electric vehicle (BEV) version and was seen
as one of the strongest rivals to the Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) Model 3 in China.
On September 6, 2023, BYD launched the hybrid Seal DM-I,
expanding the Seal lineup.
BYD began this round of major model updates a month ago with
the aim of gaining more market share by offering lower prices than gasoline
counterparts.
On February 29, the Seal DM-i received the Glory Edition
update with a starting price of RMB 149,800, down from RMB 166,800 previously.
Back to the all-electric Seal EV, its Glory Edition is
offered in five variants with starting prices of RMB 179,800, RMB 192,800, RMB
202,800, RMB 219,800, and RMB 249,800, respectively.
For comparison, its predecessor was also offered in five
variants with starting prices of RMB 189,800, RMB 202,800, RMB 222,800, RMB
239,800, and RMB 279,800, respectively.
The model's key specifications remain unchanged, but it gets
advanced feature updates that include smart switching of vehicle power.
The Seal EV Glory Edition measures 4,800 mm in length, 1,875
mm in width and 1,460 mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2,920 mm.
Its two least expensive variants are powered by a blade
battery with a capacity of 61.4 kWh and a CLTC range of 550 kilometers.
Its two least expensive variants are powered by a blade
battery with a capacity of 61.4 kWh and a CLTC range of 550 kilometers.
The Seal EV Glory Edition can accelerate from 0 to 100
kilometers per hour in as fast as 5.9 seconds for the single-motor version and
3.8 seconds for the dual-motor version.
BYD sold 3,024,417 NEVs in 2023, with the Seal lineup,
including the Seal EV and Seal DM-I, contributing 127,323 units, according to
data compiled by CnEVPost.