Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, BYD’s new electric SUV is now arriving in Europe with a starting price of €47,990 in Portugal.
The BYD Sealion 7 was designed by Wolfgang Egger, the chief designer of the Chinese brand, known for the models he created for Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, and Audi. It adopts the design language of the Ocean Series, featuring an X-shaped front, similar to the Dolphin and Seal models, and adapts it to a sporty SUV body style.
The Sealion 7 is the first electric model from BYD to be built on the updated e-Platform 3.0 Evo, which the brand promises enables faster charging and better performance, benefiting from being equipped with the Blade Battery that uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) as the cathode material. LFP has higher safety and durability levels compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries and is also 100% cobalt-free.
The Comfort version, with rear-wheel drive, utilizes a single electric motor with 308 hp and 380 Nm of torque, powered by an 82.5 kWh battery, allowing for acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds, reaching a top speed of 215 km/h, and offering a range of 482 km.
The Design and Excellence variants, with all-wheel drive, feature an additional motor with 215 hp on the front axle, ensuring a combined power of 523 hp and 690 Nm of torque. In these versions, the top speed remains at 215 km/h, but the acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is just 4.5 seconds. The range drops to 456 km in the Design version, equipped with the same battery as the Comfort version, while the top-of-the-line Excellence variant adopts a 91.3 kWh capacity battery that allows for a range of up to 502 km.
All versions of the BYD Sealion 7 come with standard 11 kW three-phase AC charging, and the Excellence AWD version with the larger battery can achieve charging speeds of 230 kW, allowing for a charge from 10% to 80% in just 24 minutes.
With a total length of 4.83 meters, a wheelbase of 2.93 m, and a completely flat rear floor provided by the e-Platform 3.0, the new electric SUV from BYD offers space in the cabin for five adults, and a trunk with a capacity of 520 liters, which increases to 1789 liters with the rear seats folded. Additionally, the front trunk (‘frunk’) has a capacity of 58 liters.
Inside, the highlight is the instrument panel featuring a 15.6-inch screen that can rotate between portrait and landscape orientations, a BYD exclusive. This screen is equipped with the latest software from the brand, which offers a revamped interface capable of displaying a complete 3D rendering of the car and voice control system interaction.
The BYD Sealion 7 is the first model from the Chinese brand to feature DiPilot 100 “God’s Eye,” a system with driver assistance and safety technologies that includes 12 ultrasonic radars, five millimeter-wave radars, and 11 cameras for advanced driving assistance functions.
The new Sealion will be available in Portugal by the end of the year, with prices starting at €47,990 for the Comfort version. The mid-range Design version is priced at €51,990, while the top-of-the-line Excellence variant comes in at €56,490.
