Plug-in hybrid BYD Sealion 6 lands in South Africa

Having disclosed pricing of the highly awaited Shark 6 bakkie overnight, BYD has also divulged specifications and stickers of its first plug-in hybrid SUV, and second partial EV, the Sealion 6.

Dimensions

Placed above the all-electric Seal sedan and Atto 3, the Sealion 6, known as the Song Plus in China, arrives in South Africa after receiving its current appearance in 2023 as part of a maiden lifecycle update.

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Part of BYD’s Ocean series of products, which includes the Shark 6, Seal, the all-electric Sealion 7, Dolphin and the tiny Seagull known in some markets as the Dolphin Mini, the Sealion 6, or Seal U in other export nations, measures 4 775 mm long, 1 890 mm wide and 1 670 mm tall, with its wheelbase stretching 2 765 mm.

Offering five seats and 425 to 1 440-litres of boot space, the Sealion 6 comes in three trim grades; Comfort, Dynamic and Premium, with the latter sporting all-wheel-drive as standard versus the former pair’s front-wheel-drive layout.

Spec

In terms of specification, all three variants have the following as standard;

• 19-inch alloy wheels;
• rotating 15.6-inch infotainment system;
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto;
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster;
• LED headlights;
• keyless entry and push-button start;
• dual-zone climate control with rear vents;
• panoramic sunroof;
• electric tailgate;
• mood lighting;
• folding and heated electric mirrors;
• imitation leather upholstery;
• rain sense wipers;
• electric front seats;
• rear parking sensors;
• reverse camera;
• Auto High Beam Assist;
• Adaptive Cruise Control;
• Autonomous Emergency Braking;
• Lane Keep Assist;
• Front and Rear Cross Traffic Alert;
• Blind Sport Monitoring;
• Front and Rear Cross Traffic Braking;
• Door Open Alert;
• Lane Departure Warning;
• Trailer Sway Control;
• Drive mode selector (Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow).

Building on the Comfort, the Dynamic swaps-out the six-speaker sound system for an Infinity branded 10-speaker audio, while also gaining a one-touch open/close electric tailgate, front parking sensors, heated and cooled front seats, dual wireless charging pads, a 360-degree surround-view camera system and what BYD calls rhythmic mood lighting.

For the Premium, only a Head-Up Display sets it apart from the Comfort and Dynamic on the spec sheet.

Plug-in hybrid with or without turbo boost

Up front, BYD South Africa has settled upon the same powertrain options as in Australia. For the Comfort and Dynamic, this means outputs of 72kW/122Nm from the normally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine.

Combined with the 145kW/300Nm delivered by the single electric motor powered by the 18.3-kWh Blade battery pack, the total output comes to 160kW/300Nm.

The claimed all-electric range is 80 km, combined is 1 080 km and 0-100 km/h 8.5 seconds. DC charging is supported up to 18 kW and AC up to seven kilowatts, with vehicle-to-load and regenerative braking also included.

At the range’s summit, the Premium’s all-wheel-drive comes via a second electric motor on the rear axle that produces 120kW/250Nm.

With outputs of the front motor uprated to 150kW/500Nm and a turbocharger added to the 1.5-litre engine that sees it produce 96kW/220Nm, the Premium final output amounts to 238kW/550Nm,

This results in the 0-100 km/h taking dash taking 5.9 seconds, with the all-electric range being 70 km and combined is 870 km.

Price

Offered in five colours; Arctic White, Time Grey, Delan Black and Smokey Grey, with a choice of black or a two-tone black-and-brown interior finish, the Sealion 6’s sticker price includes a five-year/100 000 km maintenance plan, a seven kilowatt wallbox, V2L socket and a 2.2 kW portable charger.

• Sealion 6 Comfort – R639 900
• Sealion 6 Dynamic – R689 900
• Sealion 6 Premium AWD – R789 900

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