BYD has used the Paris motor show to reveal its biggest and most practical model yet – the Sealion 7 SUV.
This new seven-seat SUV will be going up against vehicles such as the Tesla Model Y, Skoda Enyaq Coupe and Hyundai Ioniq 5 when it comes to the UK next year.
BYD claims that the Sealion 7 has a charging rate of up to 230kW and that it will come with a four-wheel-drive option that will be able to do 0-60mph in 4.3 seconds. Furthermore, the car will feature the firm’s blade battery and body-to-cell construction as well as sit on the same e-Platform 3.0 architecture as the Seal saloon.
In terms of design, this new car adopts a lot of cues from other models in the firm’s line-up with its full rear light bar and angular front end. The sloping roof line gives the car a sporty profile, too.
Michael Shu, BYD’s European managing director, said: “Our customers have been showing great interest in high-performance SUVs, so today, the Sealion 7 comes to Paris. Besides its blade battery, cell-to-body construction and our LFP battery chemistry, it is equipped with the world’s highest-speed electric motor in mass production, with a speed of 23,000rpm and 400 revolutions every single second. We are the only company to achieve such a record.”
Prices have not been revealed yet, but given the Seal costs from around £45,000, it’s likely that the Sealion 7 will start nearer the £50,000 mark.
