BYD prepares to launch a new SUV in Europe

The BYD Sealion 7, a 4.83-metre SUV rival to the Tesla Model Y, is expected to debut at the Paris Motor Show 2024. Here's what we know

Photo by: BYD

By: Eleonora Lilli

Oct 8, 2024 at 4:12am ET

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The Paris Motor Show, now just around the corner (Monday 14 is the opening day for the press), will be very interesting this year. Debuting are several models for the European market, many of them Chinese. BYD is among the manufacturers we will be keeping an eye on (along with Leapmotor, Xpeng, Seres, GAC, Skyworth, Forthing, Hongqi and Maxus) and will present the European version of the Sealion 7, electric rival of the Tesla Model Y.

The news is actually not official, because the company has only said that it will present a new European model in Paris, but many sources claim that it is indeed the Sealion 7, an important model not only because it rivals Tesla, but because it represents the brand's top technology in Europe.

A mid-size SUV

The Sealion 7 is 4.83 m long, 1.92 m wide and 1.62 m high. It is 80 mm longer than the Tesla Model Y and 89 mm longer than the Leapmotor C10 mid-size SUV. In Europe, it will be positioned below the Tang large electric SUV and next to the Seal U mid-size SUV, available with plug-in hybrid and battery electric drive models.

The Sealion 7 is already on sale in China with a 230 PS rear-mounted electric motor, while a higher output version delivers 308 PS (the battery pack is 72 kilowatt-hours or 81 kWh). There is also an all-wheel-drive version with a second electric motor at the front axle for a combined power output of 523 PS, which BYD claims sprints from 0 to 62 mph in 4.2 seconds.

BYD Sea Lion 07

The largest battery offers a range of 379 miles (measured using the China Light Duty Vehicle Test Cycle) and all are manufactured by BYD using its lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry.

Another noteworthy technology of the Sealion 7 is the 'dual-gun' which allows two chargers to be connected at the same time, doubling the charging speed to almost 500 kW. The car also has what BYD claims is the highest speed electric motor, reaching 23,000 rpm.

A behemoth one step closer to Tesla

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BYD will be China's largest carmaker at the Paris Motor Show 2024 and will also present its luxury brand Yangwang with the large plug-in hybrid SUV U8. BYD, we recall, is the second largest seller of electric cars in the world after Tesla, with 1,169,579 units sold until the end of September.

BYD has also chosen Alfredo Altavilla, Sergio Marchionne's former right-hand man at FCA, to make inroads into the European market.