Chinese electric automaker BYD has finally announced the launch date of its all-electric Seal in Australia, which is on October 17.
At the same time, BYD will also release the official pricing of the “most anticipated new car of 2023” in Australia.
“BYD is about to launch arguably the most anticipated new car of 2023.
Get ready Australia. Sales date to be announced in the coming days.”
Luke Todd, BYD’s local distributor CEO, EV Direct, posted on LinkedIn on Monday
BYD to open orders for the Seal
BYD also announced plans to officially start accepting orders for the highly awaited electric compact executive fastback sedan at the launch event at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Drive reported estimates that the BYD Seal will have competitive pricing based on its closest rival, the Tesla Model Y. For reference, the American electric sedan costs $61,900 to $71,900 before on-road costs.
BYD Seal to have three variants in Australia
The government filings revealed that the BYD will offer three Seal variants in the Australian market, including the standard range RWD Dynamic, long-range RWD Premium, and the flagship AWD Performance.
The BYD Seal will apparently have a maximum WLTP-estimated driving range of up to 570 km with the Premium variant. This remarkable driving range is largely due to the large Blade battery pack with an 82.5 kWh capacity.
Meanwhile, the Performance variant can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in a claimed 3.8 seconds. However, the acceleration time increases to 5.9 seconds with a single-motor RWD Seal.
Tesla Model 3 rival
The Australian electric vehicle industry expects the BYD Seal to challenge the Tesla Model Y’s strong dominance. According to BYD distributor Luke Todd from EV Direct, the pricing of the Seal will be “very attractive” to overthrow the Tesla e-SUV.
CarsGuide indicated that the Tesla Model 3 RWD starts at $57,400. Meanwhile, the Long Range and the flagship Performance cost $70,400 and $83,400, respectively.
“Seal is our premium vehicle, but it will be a premium vehicle at a very attractive price point. Can’t quite tell you the price yet, but it will be well received when we release it.”
Luke Todd, BYD’s local distributor CEO, EV Direct, told CarsGuide
See Also:
- BYD Seal – Review, Pricing and Specifications
- India website lists 700km range BYD Seal EV: Release date and specs
- New BYD Seal comes to the 2022 Paris Motor Show
- BYD to launch Yangwang U8 on September 20
- BYD sales grew 4.7% MoM to 274,386 EVs in August 2023
BYD plans to begin the initial deliveries of the Seal EV by the end of 2023. The Chinese NEV giant will release more details about the 2024 BYD Seal for the Australian market on Tuesday.