BYD's next best-seller revealed

BYD has declared its upcoming Sealion 8 seven-seat large SUV will be its next best-seller, despite it being the brand’s most expensive vehicle yet.

The seven-seat flagship SUV, which is to be offered only as a plug-in hybrid is expected to sit in the range of $65,000 to $75,000, will arrive on Australian shores before the end of this year.

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“Of the four models we’ve shown today, the Sealion 8 we think has the biggest volume opportunity,” he said. “The expressions of interest have only been open for a week and we’ve had over a thousand.”

“It’s our first seven-seater, and when you look at that seven-seat large SUV space, it’s a big chink of the market, and it won’t cannibalise anything else in that range for us.”

“There’s just an enormous amount of interest and expectation for us bringing that kind of vehicle to the market,” he said.

The Sealion 8 would stack up well against its competition, if it’s priced in the suggested range.

The outgoing Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV started from $69,290 before on-roads, while the Kia Sorento PHEV starts from $73,500 in its most affordable form. 

The Sealion 8 will be a significantly more expensive proposition than the most affordable three-row plug-in SUV, which remains the Chery Tiggo 8 at $45,990 drive-away. Even Chery’s larger and more luxurious Tiggo 9 will likely be more affordable, with its price-tag set at $59,990 (before on-roads).

The Sealion 8 brings with it BYD’s latest design motifs inside and outside, and it will also debut the brand’s more powerful DM-P plug-in hybrid system, which produces 400kW/668Nm from its electric motors, with a supporting 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 110kW/220Nm.

There will also be a lesser front-wheel drive version. Expect pricing for what should be a three-variant range before the end of 2025.

It’s not only the Sealion 8 where Collins thinks BYD will score goals in 2026. He also said the Atto 1 has a larger audience than sales numbers predict, as there currently aren’t brands out there serving the small affordable car space well.

“Atto 1 is interesting, too, because it’s in a relatively small segment, but I think there will definitely be buyers looking at late model used cars where it’s going to be priced in that sweet spot.”

“If you look at the numbers, it’s a small segment, but we think it’s actually bigger than that. We think it’s around 300 [units] a month, but it could be even larger.”

The city-sized electric hatch, which is expected to start from $25,000 will challenge everything from the combustion-only Kia Picanto (from $19,190) to the Fiat 500e ($52,500), however it is a segment which has shrunk significantly in the last few years with the departure of options like the Suzuki Ignis.

Other new vehicles from BYD arriving for 2026 include the Atto 2 - a Yaris Cross sized fully electric small SUV, and the Sealion 5 - a plug-in mid-size SUV which will serve as a price-leading alternative to the Sealion 6 in order to challenge Chery’s Tiggo 7 on the price front.

BYD has made a bold prediction that this new model assault will grant it a top-three position in the Australian market by the end of next year. To do so, it will have to unseat some of Australia’s favourite brands like Hyundai, Kia and Mazda.