SEALION PRESERVATION (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Cars like BYD's Sealion 7 will in future be European-built to preserve this Chinese maker's Western sales surge. Jonathan Crouch takes a look at what's on offer.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 45

With this Sealion 7, BYD brings us its most sophisticated car yet, an upper mid-sized electric Coupe-SUV with the engineering and luxury to take this Chinese maker firmly into premium territory, as well as threatening cars like the Tesla Model Y and the Volkswagen ID.5.

Backgroundword count: 166

If the European makers thought that imposing stringent tariffs on the flood of Chinese-built EVs entering our market, they may need to think again. For the reasons as to why, let's take the car in front of us here as a case study, the BYD Sealion 7. This BYD flagship model, a luxury Coupe-SUV, will initially be hit with a costly EV tariffs, but from 2026 when the Chinese maker's new Hungarian factory comes on stream, it will by-pass these entirely. And it's at that stage that the competitors being targeted here - cars like better Volkswagen ID.5s and Tesla Model Ys - will really feel the force of BYD. In the short-term though, the Sealion 7 will be relatively rare sight on this continent's roads, the third of this maker's models branded with a nautical name (following the Dolphin and the Seal). It aims to encapsulate everything BYD has so far learned as a car maker. Which as it turns out, is quite a lot.

Driving Experienceword count: 312

In this case, there are two kinds of Sealion; docile and fierce. The docile entry-level 'Comfort' version uses an 82.5kWh battery and is propelled by a 308bhp single rear motor which can power the car for up to 300 miles. It makes 62mph in 6.7s en route to 113mph. The fiercer versions use a dual motor powertrain where that rear motor is joined by a 215bhp front motor, creating a potent total output of 523bhp. This dual motor set-up can be had in 'Design AWD' form with the 82.5kWh battery, which goes 283 miles on a charge. Or in 'Excellence AWD' form with a larger 91.3kWh battery, which goes up to 312 miles on a charge. The dual motor versions have a '4.5 S' badge on the boot lid, which denotes the 0-62mph time. Quite a lot of the engineering and drive dynamics are shared with the Seal saloon, which we've tested and been favourably impressed by. BYD says it's put particular work into the suspension, which is tailored for 'excellent handling' and 'secure vehicle control'. The dual motor AWD model that UK sales will be focused on boasts a new 'Intelligent Torque Adaption Control' (iTAC) system, able to allocate toque between the wheels to prevent skidding and maximise safety. Expect excellent refinement and all the usual semi-autonomous driving aids. Handling should be aided by a stiffer version of the e-Platform 3.0 used by the Seal, which BYD calls the e-Platform 3.0 EVO. A key technical difference compared with other EVs is the way that BYD's pioneering Cell-to-Body (CTB) battery installation integrates the Blade Battery into the entire vehicle structure, with the top cover of the pack also acting as the floor of the passenger compartment. CTB features a high-strength honeycomb-like aluminium structure, enhancing safety - and using the battery pack as a structural component also helps to deliver impressive torsional stiffness.

To see the full road test text contact us on 0330 0020 227