BYD Cars Philippines and ACMobility released car after car in 2025. With 13 models on offer, and a myriad of variants between them, it is almost silly to ask, “What’s next?”
Well, it looks like the Department of Energy has some idea, as it just added two unreleased BYD vehicles to its list of recognized electric vehicles. Carrying a familiar name, the range-extended Sealion 8 DM-p and the fully electric Sealion 7 are officially registered on the database, which may hint towards a possible Philippine debut.
However, these are technically not new vehicles. We have seen the Sealion 7 at the 2025 Bangkok International Motor Show, while the Sealion 8 has been making rounds in Australia.
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Locally, BYD added the Sealion 5 DM-i to its stable in 2025, offering a more affordable option in the electrified crossover segment. Given that the Sealion 7 is a fully electric model, and the Sealion 8 is a performance hybrid, these would definitely merit more premium prices.
To make things more interesting, the DOE has registered the AWD variant of the Sealion 7—rated for 523hp and 690Nm of torque with 542km of range. The Sealion 8 also carries an AWD system, which can hit 100kph in just 4.9sec.
2025 also saw the launch of the Tang DM-i and the eMAX 9 DM-i, which were BYD’s attempts to pierce higher-level markets. But that’s not to say BYD has not remained competitive—the Tang DM-i and the eMAX 9 DM-i are tagged as premium options, but still come in at significantly lower prices than their main competitors. We can expect the same treatment if the new Sealions ever hit our shores.
