2025 BYD Sealion 7 EV: Tesla Model Y rival to start under $60,000

BYD Australia has opened registrations of interest for its all-new Sealion 7 electric SUV, due to arrive in Australia from “mid-February” with a confirmed starting price of “under $60,000”.

In a media release from the Chinese brand and its local distributor, EVDirect, BYD confirmed its new “pure electric performance SUV” will be available in Premium and Performance variants, with the latter capable of accelerating from 0-100km/h in just 4.5 seconds.

Further, driving range is quoted to be “more than 500 kilometres”, and a range of driver assistance and premium features will be available – however, only preliminary details have been shared for the time being.

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Available safety features will include:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• Lane keep assist
• 360-degree camera system

Available equipment will include:

• Nappa leather seat upholstery – quilted
• Vegan leather interior upholstery
• Panoramic sunroof
• Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality

Available exterior colours will include:

• Cosmos Black
• Atlantis Grey
• Shark Grey
• Aurora White

Full specifications and pricing will be confirmed closer to the Sealion 7’s sales launch in mid-February, 2025. Expressions of interest are now being taken online via the BYD Australia website.

David Smitherman, CEO for EVDirect, says the Sealion 7 is expected to be “the number one selling electric vehicle in our range”.

“It sets a new standard for innovation and technology, and I challenge anyone to find a vehicle designed with comfort and performance like this one,” Mr Smitherman added.

BYD’s current top seller in Australia is the all-electric Seal sedan, which returned 6393 registrations for the 2024 calendar year, narrowly beating the Sealion 6 PHEV SUV which managed 6198 units despite only going on sale mid-year.

For reference, Australia’s top-selling EV was the Sealion 7’s direct rival, the Tesla Model Y, which returned 21,253 registrations for the 2024 calendar year.

Beyond the Tesla Model Y, the BYD Sealion 7 mid-size electric SUV will serve as a rival to a number of new models from incoming Chinese brands including the Deepal S07, Xpeng G6 and Geely EX5.

It’s pricing and size segmentation also line it up against the Kia EV5 and EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Subaru Solterra and Toyota bZ4X. In the coming months the Volkswagen Group will also have the VW ID.4/ID.5, Cupra Tavascan and Skoda Enyaq all on sale.

BYD’s confirmation of a sub-$60,000 starting price well undercuts the positioning of the Chinese SUV in overseas markets like Europe and the UK – in the latter, the Sealion 7 starts from a hefty £44,990 (A$90,192).

Stay tuned to CarExpert for all the latest BYD Sealion 7 news, and share your thoughts with us in the comments!

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