zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Tech
/
The Absurdly Cheap BYD Seagull Could Become China's Bestselling EV
The Absurdly Cheap BYD Seagull Could Become China's Bestselling EV-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:24

Image for article titled The Absurdly Cheap BYD Seagull Could Become China's Bestselling EV

The new Seagull debuted at the this week. The sale of is surging ahead in , the world’s biggest auto market. Despite the many EVs on display from auto giants such as Toyota and Volkswagen, as well as those from American EV makers like Tesla, the “hi-vis” yellow BYD Seagull stole the show, according to . And it’s all down to the Seagull’s absurdly low starting price of ¥78,000, or around $11,327 at current exchange rates.

When the r goes on sale in China, it will be quite cheaper than the current bestselling EV in the country, the BYD Dolphin, which starts at ¥116,800, or around $16,961. As notes elsewhere, citing Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the only thing holding back EV sales is . But it seems that Chinese carmakers plan to address high prices and corner the low end of the market in the process with such models as the and the bigger (but still relatively cheap) BYD Dolphin.

The BYD Seagull now joins the lineup of China’s inexpensive EVs, and analysts tell that it could be the bestselling EV in the country within six months of its launch. If that turns out to be true, that would essentially make the Seagull the bestselling EV in the world, by virtue of the size of .

Image for article titled The Absurdly Cheap BYD Seagull Could Become China's Bestselling EV

The BYD Seagull will be available in two different versions: the base model Seagull will have a range of 305 kilometers per charge, or about 190 miles; a higher-end model will come with a greater range of 405 kilometers, or just shy of 252 miles. BYD adds that the Seagull boasts fast charging capabilities, going from 30 to 80 percent of its full battery capacity in just 30 minutes. And it’s also going to use the newly-developed BYD Blade battery, which is reportedly going to power some Teslas made in China.

And, yet, the BYD Seagull will massively undercut the price of the cheapest car from Tesla, . Despite that EV’s domestic production, the Tesla Model 3 starts at ¥229,900 in China, or about $33,384. That’s nearly three times the price of the upcoming Seagull, which means that Tesla could be vying for the attention of the average car buyer in China very soon.

Elon Musk was right about one thing: prices are holding back EV sales. At least in China, that will no longer be the case for long. BYD hasn’t mentioned whether it plans to export the Seagull to Europe nor the U.S., where even the cheapest EVs like the easily double the price point of the Seagull.

Image for article titled The Absurdly Cheap BYD Seagull Could Become China's Bestselling EV

Image for article titled The Absurdly Cheap BYD Seagull Could Become China's Bestselling EV

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Tech
Costco Will Sell The Chevy Blazer EV At A Discount To Go With Your Rotisserie Chicken
Costco Will Sell The Chevy Blazer EV At A Discount To Go With Your Rotisserie Chicken
knows that you keep coming back for the and Kirkland brand, but you can now also buy a cheaper at your local warehouse. Chevy notified its dealers that members are eligible for a $1,000 rebate on the through January 2, according to . The discount is part of ,...
Jul 27, 2025
GM Says It's Dropping Apple CarPlay And Android Auto Because They're Unsafe (Update)
GM Says It's Dropping Apple CarPlay And Android Auto Because They're Unsafe (Update)
GM is still dealing with the fallout of its decision to drop Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in favor of developing its own in-house system. In the last eight months, the company has had to deal with while still maintaining its in-house system will be “.” Since neither of...
Jul 27, 2025
Volkswagen EVs Can Now Power Your House For Two Days (Update)
Volkswagen EVs Can Now Power Your House For Two Days (Update)
Experts have said that one of the ways to speed up EV adoption is for them to support . The ability for owners to power their house off their car or from the grid is vital. Just nine EVs on the market currently support bidirectional charging, but now VW...
Jul 27, 2025
Truck Fans Would Rather Wait For A Toyota Tacoma EV Than Buy A F-150 Lightning Or Cybertruck
Truck Fans Would Rather Wait For A Toyota Tacoma EV Than Buy A F-150 Lightning Or Cybertruck
fans are already cooling on despite more options on the market and news of upcoming models from the likes of Chevy and Ram. The and have yet to be released, while the has recently joined the and for sale in the U.S. And, yet, all of these current and...
Jul 27, 2025
Danish Investors Dump Tesla Shares After Elon Musk Calls Strikes In Sweden 'Insane'
Danish Investors Dump Tesla Shares After Elon Musk Calls Strikes In Sweden 'Insane'
Danish pension fund PensionDanmark is dumping all of its stock and putting the U.S. EV maker on its exclusion list of the companies it chooses to invest in – or not. The fund is selling all of its shares due to Elon Musk’s refusal to enter into labor agreements...
Jul 27, 2025
Biden’s First EV Charging Station Goes Online After $7.5 Billion In American EV Investments
Biden’s First EV Charging Station Goes Online After $7.5 Billion In American EV Investments
Despite in investments for the development of in the , not a single charging station had gone live thanks to — until now. The first EV charger paid for by Biden’s Bipartisan deal has come online in Ohio, according to , which marks the operational start of what the...
Jul 27, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved