BYD Sealion 6 News

Being at the top of the tree for more than 20 years puts a target on your back.

Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicle sales are surging, but the federal government is about to put a roadblock in the path of these petrol-electric machines.

Following its 2025 pricing cull, BYD has chopped the entry price to its Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid range. The family SUV now starts in Essential trim, with the old Dynamic grade dropped entirely, from $42,990 before on-road costs. This cements its position as Australia’s cheapest plug-in hybrid — the price battle is getting bloody. Compared to rivals, it is very sharply priced. The most popular vehicle in the segment, the Toyota RAV4, starts at $42,260 before on-road costs in plugless hybrid guise while the most affordable Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is the ES at $57,290, before on-road costs. BYD says the new Essential is targeting fleet customers mainly and it does lose some equipment.Inside, there’s no 360-degree camera, auto-dimming mirror, insulated front door glass, seat heating and ventilation, metal sill protectors, mood lighting or wireless phone charging.The touchscreen is smaller (but still generous) at 12.8 inches and the speaker count falls from 10 to six. The driver’s seat is still power adjustable but only six ways, not eight. The Sealion 6 Essential still features two-tone brown synthetic leather upholstery, 19-inch alloy wheels, LED lighting and keyless entry. Under the bonnet is the same plug-in hybrid system based around a 1.5-litre petrol engine. It drives the front wheels only with a total power output of 160kW, for a 0-100km/h sprint in 8.5 seconds. The 18.3kWh ‘Blade’ battery remains, giving around 80km of electric-only driving range and total full-empty distance of 1000km plus, says BYD, if you can achieve the 1.1L/100km rating. A five-star ANCAP safety rating covers all Sealion 6 trims. It is currently advantageous to purchase a plug-in hybrid as it is considered a low-emissions vehicle, making them much more affordable to finance thanks to the FBT exemption. This will change on 1 April 2025 and may impact PHEV sales. Since its release in May 2024, though, the Sealion 6 has proven popular, with 6198 finding homes. BYD is on a product offensive in 2025, rolling out a new Sealion 7 electric model and introducing Australia’s first plug-in hybrid ute, the Shark 6. 

BYD is a relative minnow in the Australian car market. Yes, it’s had some modest success with its range of electric cars, but it’s still well-short of reaching the top 10 in sales and having a real impact on the market… or is it?

It’s been another huge year at CarsGuide, especially when it comes to our video content.

Many so-called “all-new” models aren’t all that new. In fact, a sizeable chunk are reskinned versions of what came before, with fresh sheetmetal over the same general hard points.

BYD's plans to be a global phenomenon.

BYD is looking to drive sales at the end of the year, slashing prices by $3000 on all of its passenger car models for a limited time. Additionally, the Chinese carmaker is offering a $1000 home charger installation voucher in the bundle. This deal applies to the end of November across all BYD models currently on sale, including the Dolphin hatch, Atto 3 small SUV, Seal sedan and Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid medium SUV. It is the latest move in BYD asserting dominance in the Australian new-car market, with loft ambitions first to take a top-five place among manufacturers followed by a challenge on giant Toyota that currently has a lock on first place. The brand plans to sell 25,000 cars this year, double 2023’s sales figures. By the end of October, BYD had registered 16,913 new cars in Australia, with 1732 done last month.It will need to really lift its game to hit the 25,000 target, more than doubling its October sales figures for the last two months of the year to over 4000 in a typically quiet time for new-car sales.BYD was not able to quantify how successful the promotion yas been yet but a spokesperson told CarsGuide "sales are in the thousands to date across the festival BYD campaign."The $3000 discounts bring the Dolphin electric hatch (340km-427km WLTP range) down as low as $33,890 before on-road costs, in Dynamic guise. Close but not enough to undercut the MG4 Excite 51kWh that is still on offer for $32,990 drive-away.The popular Atto 3 Standard drops to a competitive $41,499, while the Seal Dynamic sedan — that already undercut Tesla’s base Model 3 — is a quite ridiculous $46,888, before on-road costs. Finally, the plug-in hybrid Sealion 6 Dynamic drops its price below an equivalently-equipped Toyota RAV4 hybrid at $45,990, before on-road costs. Discounts have been instrumental in driving electric car sales in Australia with brands such as Tesla and MG finding bursts of serious success by slashing prices. Not everyone is on board, though, with critics noting the effects on resale value and price stability. 

Just two months after celebrating production of its nine millionth vehicle (and 15 months after celebrating its five millionth) BYD has gone and shocked the automotive world again – and broke its own record in the process.

BYD's rapid growth should have other car brands worried.