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TheBYD Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUV has become even cheaper with a new entry-level Essential trim, priced from $42,990 before on-road costs.
The Sealion 6 was already Australia’s most affordable plug-in hybrid (PHEV), as well as our market’s best-selling PHEV last year, and the new Essential brings the cost of entry down by $3000 over the outgoing Dynamic.
Only the Essential and Premium feature in the model year 2025 lineup, with the latter priced at an unchanged $52,990 before on-road costs.
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The Essential loses some features found in the Dynamic it replaces, including a surround-view camera, wireless phone chargers, and heated and ventilated front seats.
It also swaps the 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen for a 12.8-inch unit, and swaps the 10-speaker Infinity sound system for an unbranded six-speaker one.
The new base model has the same 18.3kWh Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery as other Sealion 6 models, and like the Dynamic it has total system outputs of 160kW and 300Nm.
It’s front-wheel drive, unlike the top-spec Premium, and does the 0-100km/h dash in 8.5 seconds.
Claimed electric-only range is 92km on the NEDC test cycle, while BYD also claims fuel consumption of 1.1L/100km – or 4.8L/100km if the state of charge is below 25 per cent.
The Sealion 6 is the latest BYD to get the Essential treatment, following last week’s announcement of cut-price versions of the Atto 3 and Dolphin.
The Atto 3 Essential brings the cost of entry to the electric SUV range down by $4509, while the Dolphin Essential is $6900 less than the Dynamic trim it replaces.
Both models have lost features compared to the previous entry-level models, with the Dolphin Essential and Atto 3 Essential lacking features like panoramic glass roofs and wireless phone chargers.
MORE: Everything BYD Sealion 6
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William Stopford is an automotive journalist with a passion for mainstream cars, automotive history and overseas auto markets.
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