BYD Sea Lion 07 to be revealed at Paris Motor Show

Chinese automotive giant BYD will reveal another car destined for the UK market at this year’s Paris Motor Show between 14 and 20 October, and it has already posted a sneak teaser image of the Sea Lion 07. 

Continuing BYD’s marine-themed “Ocean Series” naming strategy, the Sea Lion 07 will sit at the top of BYD’s range above the all-electric Seal saloon. It is a mid-sized SUV with a rakish, coupe-like roofline, and it should rival the likes of the Kia EV6, Peugeot E-3008, Skoda Enyaq Coupe, Tesla Model Y and the upcoming Ford Capri.  

The latest teaser doesn’t reveal much aside from a side profile that showcases the sweptback roofline. The post also invites an audience to a ‘European premiere of a new model’. It won’t be a ‘global premiere’ however, because the Sea Lion 07 has been on sale in China since the beginning of the summer.

BYD Sea Lion 07 pricing and release date

After the Sea Lion 07’s European debut at the Paris Motor Show, we can expect it to go on sale in early 2025, potentially beating the incoming facelifted Tesla Model Y to market. 

Given the BYD Seal starts at a touch more than £45,000, the larger Sea Lion 07 (which will utilise the same e-Platform 3.0 architecture as the Seal), could be priced nearer the £50,000 mark. As with most of BYD’s other offerings, we expect two trim levels, and the option of a single-motor rear-drive or dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain.  

What will the BYD Sea Lion 07 look like?

As a result of the Sea Lion 07 going on sale in China already, we have a clear view of how the European model should look. The UK’s Seal saloon looks identical to the Chinese model (that is until a slightly facelifted Seal arrived in China) and any changes to the Sea Lion 07 should be minimal.

On the Chinese-market Sea Lion 07, the coupe-SUV body style gives it a sporty profile - as do the gloss-black wheelarches. At the front we can see a similar C-shaped headlight cluster design to the Seal, flowing into the pointed crease that wraps around the nose of the car. 

To the rear we can see a light-bar that is similar to the Seal’s, tapering to the middle to accentuate the car’s width. There’s also a faux diffuser at the bottom of the rear bumper. 

What will the BYD Sea Lion 07’s interior be like?

The Sea Lion 07 will gain BYD’s new steering wheel and copy the Seal’s new dash layout. 

A huge 15.6-inch touchscreen dominates the dash and as with the Seal, it’ll feature a rotating function to split between portrait and landscape. The Sea Lion 07 will also get a new driver’s display that sits flush with the dash (this will arrive later on the updated Seal). 

In the Chinese models a head-up display mimics a virtual 50-inch screen for the driver, there are front and rear heated and ventilated seats and a 2.1-square-metre panoramic glass roof. 

We’ve seen on Chinese Sea Lion 07s two smartphone charging pads in front of the centre console, which bears some similar buttons and controls to the Seal. 

BYD Sea Lion 07 battery, charging and performance

Underpinning the Seal Lion 07 will be BYD’s e-Platform 3.0 architecture - something we’ve already experienced in the Seal. Two battery sizes have been available in the Seal Lion 07 in other markets, a 71.8kWh unit and a 80.6kWh unit. Under China’s more lenient CLTC testing scheme, the smaller battery is good for 341 miles of range while the larger battery tops out at 380 miles. 

The smaller battery comes with a single-motor that produces 227bhp or another motor with 308bhp, allowing for 7.3-second and 6.7-second 0-62mph time respectively. A dual-motor version comes with 523bhp for a 0-62mph time of 4.2 seconds.

The charging speed for the smaller battery maxes out at 170kW, while the larger battery can hold a 240kW charge. Due to the difference in battery capacity, they both top up 10 to 80 per cent of their batteries in 25 minutes.

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