BYD Seal 6 News

BYD has confirmed pricing and specifications for its Seal 6 sedan and wagon pair.The new plug-in hybrid pair arrive in one grade each. The Seal 6 Sedan Essential is the price leader at $34,990 (before on-roads) with a smaller 10.08kWh battery, and the Seal 6 Touring Premium steps up to $39,990 before on-roads with a larger 19kWh battery pack.The sedan can travel 55km in EV mode, while the wagon can travel 100km in EV mode, both according to the generally more accurate WLTP standard.Both cars share the same plug-in hybrid powertrain, a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. Specs for this powertrain were not revealed, but pre-approval documents show the engine producing 70kW/120Nm with the electric motors producing either 120kW/210Nm or 160kW/260Nm. Total combined outputs are either 130kW or 163kW.According to Chinese specifications, the Camry-rivalling pair can charge at a maximum rate of 48kW on a fast DC charger for a sub-30-minute charge time, and are equipped with vehicle-to-load, allowing the battery to externally power devices.Combined driving range is expected to exceed 1300km for both variants according to preliminary figures.The sedan offers 550 litres of boot space, while the wagon offers up 670-litres.Standard equipment on both cars is set to include an 8.8-inch digital dash, a 12.8-inch central multimedia screen, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and over-the-air features.Other features available on the Seal 6 overseas include a wireless phone charger, interior ambient lighting, and full synthetic leather interior trim.Orders for the Seal 6 Sedan and Touring wagon begin on the 9th of April.The pair will go into battle against local rivals like the ever-popular and plugless hybrid-only Toyota Camry (from $39,990), the mild-hybrid Skoda Octavia (from $43,990), the combustion MG7 (from $44,990), placing the aggressive sub-$40,000 pricing in good stead amongst its rivals.It will also serve to bolster BYD’s seemingly ever-growing line-up, as a hybrid alternative to the existing Seal EV sedan (from $46,990).The growing line-up is a significant part of BYD’s strategy in Australia to rival Toyota in every category, which the brand’s executives told CarsGuide would be a key part of the brand’s ambition to clinch a top-three position in our market by the end of 2026.Denza Chief Operating Officer Mark Harland, who previously held senior roles in BYD before ascending to the head of its luxury arm, told CarsGuide in 2025: “Toyota has something like 95 per cent of the segments in Australia covered by at least one variant, and if we want to ever be number one we need to have vehicles available in those segments too.”Spurred on by meteoric fuel prices in recent weeks, BYD is already making good progress on its goal - more than doubling its sales year-on-year to the latest figures. It has now leapfrogged GWM to become Australia’s favourite Chinese automaker, and is ranking sixth in the Australian market so far in 2026 after finishing 2025 in eighth position.