BYD’s second-generation Seal 07 is almost here. The new sedan goes on sale in China on November 5, and the first display cars have already reached dealerships. It is no longer a midsize car in all but name: at 5,080 mm long it crosses the five-meter mark and moves up into the full-size sedan class, with an 875 km range for the electric version and a 245 km electric range for the plug-in hybrid.
BYD opened blind orders on October 26, before any price was published. Buyers who sign up early get priority production and delivery, free choice of options and an order gift package. Customer deliveries are expected to start in November.
Bigger in every direction
The new Seal 07 is 85 mm longer, 50 mm wider and has a 60 mm longer wheelbase than the car it replaces. That extra space goes straight into the cabin and the luggage areas.
| Spec | 2nd-gen Seal 07 |
|---|---|
| Length / width / height | 5,080 / 1,960 / 1,495 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,960 mm |
| Rear trunk | 618 liters, two-level floor |
| Front trunk (EV only) | 160 liters, with a light |
| Storage spots in the cabin | 39 |
| Body colors | 6 |
Inside there are zero-gravity front seats with massage, heating and ventilation, a rear seat that folds into a “bed mode”, and a 6.8-liter fridge that cools down to -6°C or keeps food warm. Buyers can pick from three interior color schemes and six exterior colors, including Aurora Pink, Pala Green and Sea Mist Purple. The display cars at dealers carry a roof-mounted lidar for BYD’s God’s Eye driver assistance, although BYD has not yet said which trims get it.
EV: 800 volts, 875 km and a 9-minute full charge
The electric Seal 07 moves to a single rear motor on an 800-volt platform. There are two versions: 245 kW (329 hp) with a 76.7 kWh battery and 300 kW (402 hp) with an 88.7 kWh battery. Both use BYD’s second-generation Blade LFP battery. The base car is rated at 775 km on the Chinese CLTC cycle, and the stronger one at 875 km, which works out to roughly 640 km and 720 km on the stricter WLTP cycle.
The headline feature is flash charging. BYD says five minutes on a fast charger gives a useful top-up and nine minutes gets the battery to full, with only three extra minutes needed at -30°C. Real charging times will depend on the charger and the conditions. The EV also gets BYD’s DiSus-C intelligent damping body control, with double wishbones up front and a five-link rear axle.
DM-i hybrid: 245 km on electricity
The plug-in hybrid pairs a 1.5-liter turbo engine (115 kW, 154 hp) with a 160 kW (215 hp) electric motor and a 38 kWh battery. It covers 245 km on electricity alone on the WLTC cycle, and BYD quotes 4.25 L/100 km once the battery is empty. The hybrid does without the front trunk.
What will it cost?
BYD will only reveal prices at launch. Dealer paperwork seen by CarNewsChina reportedly lists a preliminary allocation price of about $25,250, but that is not the final retail price. For comparison, the current Seal 07 EV sells for about $23,800 to $26,600 and the DM-i for about $21,000 to $26,200.
The new model is badly needed. The outgoing Seal 07 sold just 624 cars in September, according to China EV DataTracker, and hybrid sales nearly halved from August. With a bigger body, a faster-charging battery and a price that should stay close to today’s, the second-generation car gives BYD a much stronger answer to rivals like the Xiaomi SU7, Tesla Model 3 and Xpeng P7+.
