BYD Sealion 06 Debuts in China — New Midsize SUV, EV & PHEV

The all-new BYD Sealion 06 debuts in China as the brand’s new midsize SUV, featuring both EV and PHEV options.

BYD has just launched its latest midsize SUV in China, known as the BYD Sealion 06. Available in both fully electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) forms, the new Sealion 06 joins the brand’s growing ‘Ocean’ series, standing as the more practical alternative to the sporty Sealion 7 coupe crossover.

In terms of design, both the Sealion 06 EV and PHEV share the same exterior design, featuring the latest iteration of BYD’s ‘Ocean Aesthetic’ design ethos. Key highlights include new dual-stack LED headlights, large air intakes on the front bumper, a full-width LED taillight bar, and many more.

Dimension-wise, the new Sealion 06 stood slightly smaller than its sportier coupe crossover twin, spanning 4,810 mm long, 1,920 mm wide, 1,675 mm tall, and with a wheelbase of 2,820 mm.

Inside, the Sealion 06 is brimming with both space and tech amenities, with the latter including the large 15.6-inch floating infotainment screen, accompanied by a smaller digital instrument cluster behind its four-spoke leather steering wheel. Typical of the fashion of any modern Chinese SUV, the Sealion 06 gets a floating central console that houses two wireless chargers, plus several extra storage spaces, and even a built-in fridge beneath it.

Rounding off the cabin amenities are the ventilated and heated front seats, a large panoramic sunroof, and a Dynaudio premium audio system.

Given its relatively large dimensions and a more conventional bodystyle than the Sealion 7, the Sealion 06 gets a large 757-litre boot space as standard, which expands to over 1,630 litres with the rear seats folded down. There’s also a 142-litre front trunk (frunk), in case you need extra cargo space.

And just like the Sealion 07, the new Sealion 06 underpins BYD’s proprietary e-Platform 3.0 Evo 800-volt architecture for the EV version, while the PHEV model uses the company’s fifth-gen DM-i hybrid technology.

The EV version comes in both single- and dual-motor options, with the two single-motor variants using either a 170 kW (228 hp) or 180 kW (241 hp) rear-mounted e-motor, paired with a 65.28 kWh or 78.72 kWh Blade battery pack for up to 520 km or 605 km of CLTC range, respectively.

Meanwhile, the dual-motor version boasts a total system output of 290 kW (389 hp), while featuring up to 550 km of CLTC range using the same battery pack as the single-motor variants.

As for the PHEV version, it adopts a 1.5-litre 4-cyl petrol engine rated at 99 hp (74 kW) by itself, which is then mated to a 160 kW-rated (215 hp) electric motor. Two battery options are available for the PHEV, namely the 18.3-kWh unit that delivers 93 km of pure EV range and a larger 26.6-kWh unit that extends its EV-only range to 130 km.

Combined, BYD claims the Sealion 06 PHEV boasts a combined range of up to 1,670 km, thanks to its seven-in-one integrated power control system.

In terms of safety, the new Sealion 06 adopts the C version of BYD’s God’s Eye intelligent driving system, allowing it to support highway navigation-on-autopilot (NOA) as standard, although BYD said the system can be updated in the future to support more ADAS and autonomous driving capabilities.

Prices for the all-new BYD Sealion 06 range from CNY 139,800 to CNY 163,800 (RM82,426 to RM96,576) in native China, depending on the version. As of now, there are no confirmations on whether the new Sealion 06 will be available in other overseas markets, but we’d reckon it has the potential to serve as a more practical and conservative alternative to the sporty Sealion 7.