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BYD Seal launches in Ireland

BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland BYD Seal launches in Ireland
€44k starting price for the sleek all-electric BYD Seal saloon.

BYD Ireland has launched its third model for the Irish market, the sleek all-electric Seal saloon.

Prices start from €44,036 (including all grants) for the entry-level Design version and rise to €49,836 for the Excellence version. BYD admitted that there is also the potential for a more affordable base model, which could be priced from as little as €40,000, but that is not yet fully confirmed.

Rear-drive Design version

The Design version gets a single rear-mounted, rear-wheel drive electric motor with 312hp and 360Nm of torque. It can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 5.9 seconds and has an 82.5kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery (LFP), providing a maximum claimed range of 570km. You can charge the Seal at up to 150kW from a high-speed public DC charging point, or at 11kW on AC power.

Long-lived battery

That LFP battery is reckoned to be more robust than a conventional lithium-ion battery, and BYD has claimed that it can go through as many as 5,000 full charge and discharge cycles. As well as a six-year, 150,000km vehicle warranty, BYD offers an eight-year, 200,000km battery warranty.

High-performance Excellence model

Standard specification for the Design version includes 19-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic glass roof, 'vegan leather' upholstery, adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree parking camera, a 15.6-inch central touchscreen (which can be rotated as you please from portrait to landscape layouts and back again), a separate driver's instrument display, and a 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system.

Upgrading to the Exellence model gets you an extra electric motor, four-wheel drive, 530hp, 670Nm of torque and blistering 3.8 seconds 0-100km/h acceleration. Using the same battery, the Excellence gets slightly less range, topping out at 520km. Extra equipment includes a head-up display projected onto the windscreen, variable frequency suspension dampers, and a clever traction control system - called iTAC - which is said to respond in as little as 10 milliseconds, which is significantly faster than many rival setups.

BYD currently has five dealers in Ireland - Dublin North, Dublin South, Cork, Wexford, and Waterford.

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Published on January 29, 2024