BYD has announced that its new Seal 06 DM-i plug-in hybrid medium sedan and wagon will be made in right-hand drive for the UK market, opening up the doors for a potential Australian introduction.

Revealed for the Chinese market in early 2024, the Seal 06 DM-i will be made in right-hand drive, according to UK publication Autocar.

Measuring 4830mm long, 1875mm wide, 1495mm tall and riding on a 2790mm-long wheelbase, the Seal 06 DM-i is 90mm shorter, though 35mm wider and 50mm less tall than the current Toyota Camry, which would be its main rival in Australia.

Unlike the Camry, which is a regular hybrid only, the Seal 06 DM-i is only available in China as a plug-in hybrid with either a 10kWh or 16kWh LFP battery, rated at either 60km or 90km for electric range on the generous CLTC cycle.

The battery is paired with a 74kW/128Nm 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine and a choice of two electric motor outputs: either 120kW/210Nm or 160kW/260Nm.

Unlike the Camry as well, the Seal 06 DM-i is also available as a wagon, which is important for a European market introduction as wagons sell well there. Introducing the Seal 06 DM-i wagon would give BYD Australia one of two non-prestige wagons on the local market, with the Skoda Octavia now alone since both the Mazda6 and Volkswagen Passat have been discontinued.

Notably, the BYD Seal 06 DM-i could become the cheapest plug-in hybrid on the Australian new car market, potentially undercutting BYD’s Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid mid-size SUV that’s priced from $42,990 plus on-road costs.

Considering that the Sealion 6 is $10,000 cheaper than the fully electric Sealion 7, the Seal 06 DM-
i could undercut the fully-electric Seal by a similar margin to be comfortably below $40,000.

BYD is yet to reveal any concrete plans for the Australian release of the Seal 06 DM-i, though has
said that it’s under consideration for our market.