First shown here at the end of 2022, and then teased again late last year, the BYD Seal is now officially on sale in Malaysia, with Sime Darby Beyond Auto launching the electric vehicle earlier today at the TRX Exchange.
Despite earlier speculation that there would be three variants for Malaysia, the Seal arrives in two variant forms, as an extended range Premium and a range-topping Performance. Initially, it was intimated that the local range would follow that seen in Singapore, Thailand and Australia, but the base Dynamic has been omitted.
Let’s get to what everyone has been keenly waiting for, which is the pricing (OTR without insurance). The two Seal variants available here go for:
- Seal Premium (Extended Range) – RM179,800
- Seal Performance AWD – RM199,800
Designed as a premium segment competitor to the likes of the BMW i4 and the Tesla Model 3, the four-door coupe-styled sedan features a sloping roof-line and short rear deck, with a neat mix of curves and swoops giving it a sleek profile.
It measures in at 4,800 mm long, 1,875 mm wide and 1,460 mm tall, with a 2,920 mm-long wheelbase, and sits on the automaker’s e-platform 3.0, which also underpins the Atto 3 and Dolphin EVs. Unlike its siblings, however, the Seal uses an 800V electrical architecture platform similar to higher-end EVs such as the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT.
Other relevant numbers are a kerb weight of 1,922 kg for the Dynamic, 2,055 kg for the Premium and 2,185 kg for the Performance as well as 400 litres of boot space, with 50 litres available at the front.
External elements include LED headlights, LED daytime running lights and LED tail lights as well as retractable door handles and a panoramic roof. Both Seal variants ride on 19-inch wheels wrapped with 235/45 profile Continental EcoContact 6 Q rubbers.
The Premium features a single-motor, rear-wheel drive configuration, with 308 hp (313 PS or 230 kW) and 360 Nm on tap. It comes with a 82.5 kWh LFP Blade battery, which provides the car with up to 570 km of WLTP-rated range (650 km on NEDC).
The range-topping variant is the Performance, the only all-wheel drive variant. Its dual-motor powertrain combines a 215 hp/310 Nm front motor to a 308 hp/360 Nm rear unit to offer a total output of 523 hp (530 PS or 390 kW) and 670 Nm. For acceleration in terms of the 0-100 km/h benchmark, the single-motor Premium does it in 5.9 seconds, while the dual-motor Performance does it in 3.8 seconds.
It has the same 82.5 kWh battery seen on the Premium ER, although the bump in performance means that its effective range is lower, with a quoted 520 km of WLTP-rated travel on a single charge (580 km, NEDC).
In terms of charging, both the Premium ER and Performance AWD feature 7 kw AC Type 2 charging, and the charging time needed to get the unit from 0-100% SoC is up, in this case 15.2 hours. With DC charging at a maximum rate of 150 kW, it takes 37 minutes needed to get the battery from a 10 to 80% state of charge (SoC).
Inside, while there is less visual flourish on show compared to the Atto 3, the cabin presentation certainly isn’t coy-looking, with plenty of colour and material contrast. There’s also quite a bit of plush, courtesy of the seat upholstery, which is faux leather on the Dynamic and leather on the Premium and Performance.
Highlights include a 15.6-inch central touchscreen unit – with the usual switchable landscape/portrait orientation – and a 10.25 digital instrument panel that make up the display screens, as well as a 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system.
Elsewhere, you’ll find ventilated/heated driver/passenger powered seats, dual-zone air-conditioning, keyless entry/start, an NFC key card, head-up display, two wireless mobile device chargers and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, among other things.
As for exterior colours, four are available for Malaysia. Buyers of the entry-level Dynamic get to choose between Cosmos Black and Aurora White, with Atlantis Grey reserved for Premium and Performance. Additionally, the Performance gets an exclusive hue called Arctic Blue.
GALLERY: 2024 BYD Seal Malaysian brochure
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