By : TEAM TOS
MUMBAI :
BYD India, the wholly-owned subsidiary of China-based EV maker BYD Auto, forayed into the luxury electric sedan segment recently with the introduction of the Seal in the country. The Seal, which will be retailed in India as a CBU (Completely Built Unit), is the brand’s third all-electric model for the Indian market, and is preceded by the e6 and the ATTO 3 models. Particularly remarkable is the fact that BYD Seal received 500 bookings in merely 15 days of its official launch!
Design
Underpinning the new e-Platform 3.0, the Seal comes with the world’s first Cell-to-Body (CTB) architecture, thereby making the battery an indispensable part of its body. Adorning the "Ocean Aesthetics" design philosophy, the Seal is based on the Ocean X concept which was unveiled in 2021. The front gets an X-shaped front fascia and the four boomerang-shaped LED DRLs are reminiscent of the movement of the waves. The headlamps get unique double U-shaped light clusters and the tail lamps are integrated through a full-width light bar.
Wolfgang Egger, Head of design, BYD, has conceptualized and designed the Seal in a manner that the streamlined styling, lower body posture, and a longer wheelbase add to its massive appeal. The Seal’s sharp low silhouette with coupe-like glass roof and flush door handles also give it a distinct look. Little surprise then that the BYD Seal EV has won the highly decorated iF Design Award.
Riding on 19-inch alloys with a petal-shaped design, the Seal is available in four body colors: Arctic Blue, Aurora White, Atlantis Grey and Cosmos Black.
Features
The cabin further amplifies the “Ocean Aesthetics" concept with a slew of features in the form of Height adjustable driver’s side cup holder, Front sports seats with ventilation, heating, memory, and electric adjustment functions, 60/40 split folding rear seats, Electrically adjustable AC vents, Automatic rain sensing wipers, Silver-plated panoramic glass roof, Electric tailgate and Wireless charging. The centre console houses a 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen infotainment system with voice commands, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also gets a fully digital 10.25-inch instrument cluster which displays multiple vehicle-related information such as speedometer, state of charge, remaining driving range and power meter.
The Seal also boasts an advanced heads up display which comes with fully adjustable positioning and projects the speed of the vehicle and ADAS systems in use. A special mention goes to the Vehicle to Load (V2L) feature which comes quite handy during outdoor activities as it allows the vehicle battery to charge external electronic devices and appliances. Besides, the Seal also gets a 50 litres frunk.
However, the most important feature is the introduction of iTAC (Intelligence Torque Adaption Control) System with the Seal, which ensures optimum driving experience on any terrain by adjusting the driving torque of the front and rear axles.
Safety Features
Having received the highest 5-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, the safety features include 9-airbags, Level 2 ADAS, ABS with hill hold, and a 360-degree camera. The Level 2 ADAS suite comes with a plethora of advanced safety features such as Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Blind Spot Detection (BSD), Door Open Warning (DOW), Rear Cross Traffic Brake (RCTB), Lane Departure Warning (LDW) & Lane Departure Prevention (LDP).
Battery, Range and Charge Time
BYD Seal is offered with two battery pack configurations: 61.44 kWh and 82.56 kWh. While the former is available with the Dynamic entry-level trim, the latter comes with the mid-level Prestige and range-topping Performance variant. Both the Blade batteries have been developed in-house by BYD. Seal Dynamic with the smaller battery returns a driving range of 510 km on a single charge while doing the 0-100kmph sprint in 7.5 secs. The battery pack transmits power to the electric motor that is mounted on the rear axle, and it churns out 201 bhp and 310 Nm of torque with a rear-wheel-drive setup as standard.
Seal Prestige also gets a single electric motor mounted on the rear axle which produces max power of 308 bhp and 360 Nm of peak torque with a rear-wheel-drive setup. However, it delivers a driving range of 650 km on a single charge while touching the 100kmph mark from standstill in merely 5.9 secs. Last but not the least, Seal Performance, is powered by two electric motors, each mounted on the front as well as the rear axles. The combined power output and torque performance of both the motors is 523 bhp and 670 Nm, respectively. With an all-wheel-drive system in place, it has a driving range of 580 km on a single charge with 0-100kmph sprint time of just 3.8 secs.
It takes nearly 8.6 hours to fully charge the Seal via a 11kW AC charger. However, it can be charged from 10-80 percent in 37 mins only through the 150 kW DC fast charger.
Rivals in India
BYD Seal EV has three potential challengers in the Indian market: Hyundai Ioniq 5 at INR 45.95 lakh, Kia EV6 at INR 60.95 lakh and Volvo XC Recharge at INR 57.90 lakh.
Price and Variants
BYD Seal EV is sold in three variants namely Dynamic, Premium and Performance at prices of INR 41 lakh, INR 45.55 lakh and INR 53 lakh, respectively. (Ex-showroom, India).
