BYD has started in China the pre-sale of its new access model, the electric urban seagull. This small car belongs to the Ocean series, a sub-range made up of electric cars focused on international markets. The first BYD of the Ocean family to arrive in Europe will be the compact Dolphin and the saloon seal.
In the absence of official confirmation from the company, we practically take it for granted that in the future the Seagull will also be marketed in the old continent, where it will become one of the most affordable alternatives on the scene, since in its native market it is part of the 78,800 yuan (10,449 euros to change); In addition, the pre-sale prices of the brand are usually higher than the final ones, so it may end up being even cheaper.
The BYD Seagull sits on the e-Platform 3.0 of the company. It measures 3.78 meters long, 1.72 meters wide and 1.54 meters high, with a wheelbase of 2.50 meters. Therefore, it falls into segment A, although we should not rule out that the future European version will follow in the footsteps of the Dolphin and grow a bit to enter the more expensive and profitable segment B.
The BYD Seagull offers up to 405 kilometers of autonomy
Our protagonist is equipped with a permanent magnet synchronous motor of 75 CV (55 kW) and 135 Nm, thanks to which it completes 0-50 km/h in just 4.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 130 km/h. It is available with two batteries, both with LFP (lithium iron phosphate) cells. With the 30.08 kWh access pack, it homologates 305km CLTC of autonomy, while with the superior one of 38.88 kWh it reaches 405km CLTC. As for the charge, it can recover 50% of its range (30-80%) in 30 minutes.
Previous information handled by the Chinese media indicated that the Seagull would be the first BYD car equipped with a sodium batteries; however, these rumors were never confirmed by the brand. Although this affordable chemistry will not finally make an appearance in the initial range, it would not be surprising if it were added later.
The four-seater cabin features a 5-inch digital instrumentation and a 12.8-inch touch screen associated with the infotainment system. The lines of the dashboard, wave-shapedremind us that we are dealing with a member of the Ocean family, something that is reinforced by the use of various blue decorative sconces both on the front panel and on the door panels.
