The new Seal 06 GT is a hatchback version of the sedan Seal, so there will be the option of both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive. The Seal 06 GT is the size of the Kia EV6.
TEXT Morten Beck PHOTO PR
Chinese BYD is a relatively small car brand in Denmark, but sales of the small Dolphin and Tesla Model 3 competitor Seal are not bad at all. This year, up to and including July, the sedan Seal is registered in 413 copies, and that makes the Seal as popular as the Kia EV6.
Speaking of the EV6, BYD is ready with an expansion of the model program in the form of a large hatchback that is about the same size as the EV6: the Seal 06 GT. The large hatchback has no crossover or SUV design elements, which is unusual for a new hatchback.
The Seal 06 GT is more of a shortened version of the sedan Seal, and it shows both outside and inside; the design is not identical to the Seal design, but the basic body shape and driver’s seat are unmistakable.
The new electric car is the production-ready version of the Ocean-M concept car, which was shown at the Beijing motor show this spring.
Lower performance than in the sedan Seal
Everything about the engineering and technologies of the Seal 06 GT will be announced at a later date, so it is too early to say whether the new hatchback uses the updated platform from the facelifted version of the sedan Seal. It has been switched to 800 volt technology for, among other things, much faster charging.
However, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which approves new cars, has gotten ahead of BYD by announcing the strength of the new hatchback. The Seal 06 GT will be offered with rear-wheel drive and an engine with 218 horsepower and in a version with two electric motors, four-wheel drive and 422 horsepower.
Versions with 218 and 422 horsepower make the Seal 06 GT a milder electric car than the sedan Seal, which is available with rear-wheel drive with 313 horsepower and as four-wheel drive with 530 horsepower. The Seal 06 GT will probably be sold cheaper than the sedan Seal, which is available from DKK 349,995, so a lower performance makes sense in that way.
