The BYD Sealion 5 DM-i may be on its way to the Philippines after being granted homologation papers by the Land Transportation Office. It’s not to be confused with the BYD Seal 5 DM-i sedan and the Sealion 6 DM-i crossover, as this PHEV is uniquely listed as a wagon.
The Sealion 5 made its official debut in China back in September 2024. However, reports from just last month revealed that BYD is preparing a new wagon-type hybrid vehicle, presumably the Seal 6 DM-i. These homologation papers clear up what BYD Cars Philippines and ACMobility may have in store for the rest of 2025. Building off the Sealion nameplate—arguably BYD’s strongest asset in the Philippines—this new wagon could shape up to be another attractively priced plug-in hybrid.
If the Philippines is indeed receiving the Sealion 5 that was launched in China last year, we can expect a sleek and sporty wagon that has been Frankensteined with the front half of a Seal 5, and the back half of an eMAX 7.
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According to the LTO, two configurations of the Sealion 5 are slated to come in: The base or Dynamic variant, and the top-spec’d Premium variant. The papers reveal that performance between the two should be the same. Both variants utilize 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engines in their plug-in hybrid systems. According to the papers, these powertrains should be good for 71km of purely electric driving, and max speeds of 170kph.
In past releases, the higher spec’d variants usually get the full suite of BYD’s advanced driver-assistance system. This normally comes with adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, lane keep assist, and the like. While base variants are just stocked with manual cruise control and parking sensors.
BYD Cars Philippines and ACMobility have yet to make any official comment on the possible release of the Sealion 5. The pair recently launched its electric MPV earlier this year, and it could start a streak of practical body types with the release of this wagon.
