The BYD Seal in India is a blend of simplicity, a boatload of tech and performance to boot
It’s been a year-long wait and BYD India have finally launched their third electric model after the e6 and ATTO-3; the Seal from Rs 41 lakh (ex-showroom) onwards. This one’s an electric sedan and is offered in the Dynamic, Premium and Performance variants. The booking amount is Rs 1.25 lakh and is open till 31 March 2024. The carmaker is offering an eight-year/1,50,000-km warranty on both the battery and the motor, and six years for the electric control systems.
On the outside, you get a simplistic look, largely down to a clean body that gets a low slung stance. The sleek nature allows for a 0.219 drag coefficient. That’s not all that catches the eye as there are flush-fitting door handles, sleek LED headlights with C-shaped DRLs, intriguing lighting elements around the bumper, as well as aero-style 19-inch five-spoke alloy wheels. It will be offered in the Arctic Blue, Atlantis Grey, Aurora White and Cosmos Black body shades.
Inside, there’s plenty of digital real estate, courtesy of a rotating 15.6-inch touchscreen coupled with a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display. It is loaded to the gills with features which include voice commands, electric adjustable A-C vents, a panoramic sunroof, eight-way electronically adjustable driver’s seat with memory, heated and cooled front seats, a wireless phone charger and connected car tech. Safety kit includes up to nine airbags, 360-degree camera, ISOFIX child-seat anchors, as well as radar and camera-based ADAS tech.
Under the hood, the India-spec Seal gets three combinations to play with. It starts with the Dynamic variant, getting a 150-kW (204-hp)/310-Nm single-motor RWD setup allowing an NEDC-claimed range of 510 km with the help of a 61.4-kWh battery pack. Next up is the Premium variant which bumps things up to 230 kW (313hp)/360 Nm, paired to an 82.5-kWh battery pack. This is enough to go 650 km on a single charge. And, finally, as the name suggests, the Performance variant is a dual-motor AWD setup pushing 390 kW (530 hp)/670 Nm, enough for a 0-100 km/h sprint in 3.8 seconds. With the same 82.5-kWh battery pack, it can go up to a NEDC-rated 580 km on a single charge.
As far as charging options are concerned, you get a 7.0-kW home charger with a charging time for the 11-kW AC charger being 8.6 hours (0-100 per cent). It is capable of 150 kW (max) DC charging which allows for a 10-80 per cent charge in 37 minutes. The BYD Seal also gets the Vehicle-to-Load charging feature which makes the electric sedan a power bank for electrical appliances.
What’s more, select folk who book the electric sedan before 30 April 2024 will be able to catch a 2024 UEFA match live. The winners will be announced in May 2024 on the company website and social media handles. Currently, there isn’t a direct competitor in India, however, it can be an alternative against the likes of the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD.
