A new BYD has made its appearance on the Department of Energy’s list of certified electric vehicles, and it’s called the Seal 05 DM-i. That zero digit is an important distinction—this is meant to be an updated version of the Seal 5 currently available. The thumbnail photo in the website backs this up, as it shows the redesigned front clip which heavily echoes the Sealion 6.
Two trims for the Seal 05 are indicated on the EV registry: Essential and Dynamic. You may remember that the current Seal 5 also has two variants in Dynamic and Premium. As we get into the specs, it becomes apparent that the Essential trim is a new entry-level option for those willing to skip out on more creature comforts in favor of more affordable access to the PHEV sedan.
At 4,780mm long, 1,837mm wide, and 1,515mm tall, the Seal 05 is slightly taller than the current model, but otherwise has the same physical footprint. It’s still larger than both the Honda Civic and the Toyota Altis, and just shy of the Toyota Camry’s size.
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Total combined system output figures aren’t indicated, but the 1.5-liter engine makes 99hp and 126Nm of torque, while the motor makes 161hp and 210Nm of torque. The 7.42 kWh LFP battery also gives it a pure electric range of 55km. Acceleration from 0 to 100 is 8.8sec, almost a second slower than the current Dynamic Seal 5.
While the Seal 05 Essential and Dynamic trims share the same powertrain, they begin to differ with equipment. First off, while both run 16-inch wheels, the Essential gets simpler steel wheels compared to the more premium aluminum wheels on the Dynamic.
Moving onto the interior equipment, the Essential skips on the front row side airbags and force-limiter seatbelt. And while the Dynamic keeps the leather hardware, presumably from an unrevealed Premium variant, the Essential also skips that. Seats are fabric instead of leather, while the steering wheel gets wrapped in ‘integral skin foam.’
Other creature comforts that the Essential skips include electric folding side mirrors, all-around automatic windows, and NFC keycard entry. The available spec sheet makes no mention of BYD’s DiPilot ADAS suite, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the Essential gets a pared-down version of it with less features, if it doesn’t outright skip it.
Despite the cost-saving feature omissions, the Essential still appears to be a decently equipped option on paper. If BYD does push through with adding it to the lineup to further undercut the compact sedan market, things could get interesting. However, the absence of a range-topping Premium variant with extra power and features would be a loss for customers willing to spend for a more complete pacakge. For now, we’ll have to wait and see how ACMobility rounds out the updated lineup for the PHEV sedan.
