2023 BYD Seagull budget electric city car unveiled, not coming to Australia

One of China’s cheapest new electric cars – with a footprint smaller than a Suzuki Swift, and a $AU17,000 price – is not planned for Australia.

The 2023 BYD Seagull electric car has been formally unveiled in China – after photos and initial specifications leaked in January – but there are no current plans for an Australian introduction.

The pint-sized Seagull hatchback is the smallest member of Chinese electric-car giant BYD’s range of ‘Ocean’ hybrid and electric vehicles, priced from $AU17,000 with 300 to 400km of claimed driving range.

However, it is not planned for Australia – where BYD’s smallest car will instead be the slightly-larger Dolphin city hatch, estimated to be priced from approximately $40,000 plus on-road costs.

“We are continually evaluating all vehicles that we may have the opportunity to bring to Australia but the Seagull is definitely not on the radar in the foreseeable future,” the managing director of BYD’s local distributor EVDirect, Luke Todd, told Drive in January.

Photo credit: Autohome.com.cn

It is believed a factor in the decision not to import the Seagull may be concerns it would not be able to achieve a five-star safety rating from independent body ANCAP.

“At the moment I would say that we’ve made the commitment that we’re targeting our passenger vehicles that we bring into the country [to have] five-star [ANCAP safety] ratings,” Mr Todd told Drive last year.

“The Seagull, because of the size and compact nature of that vehicle … it’s very hard to obtain five stars on compact cars, and that is a compact car. That’s the decision we’re working through at the moment,” the executive said at the time.

Measuring 3780mm long, 1715mm wide and 1540mm tall, the BYD Seagull has a smaller footprint on the road than a Suzuki Swift, Toyota Yaris or MG 3 – although it is larger than Australia’s cheapest new petrol car, the Kia Picanto (3595mm long, 1595mm wide).

The larger BYD Dolphin measures approximately 4300mm long and 1830mm wide in European-market form – slightly longer than Chinese models, and a similar size to a Volkswagen Golf.

It is fitted with six airbags – without a centre airbag between the front seats to prevent occupants’ heads clashing in severe side-impact collisions, which has been used by many car makers to meet the latest five-star safety criteria.

If the Seagull came to Australia, it would likely become one of the most affordable electric vehicles in the country – if not the most affordable.

In China the Seagull is priced from 78,800 to 95,800 yuan ($AU17,000 to $AU20,700) – about half the last price marketed for a top-of-the-range BYD Atto 3 SUV, which mid last year cost 159,800 yuan ($AU35,000) in China, or $47,381 plus on-road costs.

Using this difference as a guide, the Seagull may be priced from $AU25,000 to $AU31,000 plus on-road costs, if it was sold in Australia. However, these figures are theoretical estimates.

Powering the Seagull is a choice of two battery packs, a 30kWh unit delivering 305km of claimed driving range according to lenient Chinese lab-testing protocols (CLTC), and a 38kWh pack offering a claimed 405km of CLTC range.

While website Car News China reports both batteries use BYD’s ‘Blade’ lithium iron phosphate (LFP) technology – as seen on the Atto 3, and the base-model Tesla Model 3 in Australia – the 30kWh unit will reportedly switch to sodium-ion battery technology later this year.

Sodium-ion batteries are less dense than LFP batteries or the lithium-ion batteries in most electric cars – at about 200 watt-hours per kilogram, compared to 280-350Wh/kg for LFP batteries – and charge slower.

However, they are much cheaper, and can cost $US40 to $US77 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) depending on the rate of production, according to Car News China – compared to an estimated $US131/kWh for the LFP battery in the base Tesla Model 3.

All batteries in the Seagull are paired with a 55kWh/135Nm electric motor on the front axle, and are capable of 0-50km/h in a claimed 4.9 seconds (similar to a Kia Picanto 1.25-litre automatic), and a 30 to 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes at up to 40kW.

Inside, the Seagull has four seats, and features that include a giant 12.8-inch touchscreen, 5.0-inch digital instrument display, wireless smartphone charger, and two cupholders.

According to Car News China, BYD received 10,000 pre-orders for the Seagull in the first 24 hours after order books opened at the Shanghai motor show. First deliveries in China are expected to commence later this year.

In Australia, the BYD Dolphin is due in showrooms after July 2023, ahead of the Seal sedan – a rival for the Tesla Model 3, with an estimated price closer to $60,000 – in the final months of this year, pending any delays.

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