New BYD models coming in 2024 and beyond

Only a few years ago, most buyers would’ve been hard pressed to know their BYD from their BBQ, but it has swiftly become one of the most popular brands in Australia.

The electric Atto 3 SUV has swept the market with just over 11,000 sales in 2023, while the newly launched Dolphin hatch and Seal sedan are quickly winning fans.

For now, the Chinese newcomer’s Australian line-up is a purely electric proposition, but that’ll change when its plug-in hybrid ute launches this year – and other petrol-electric models are expected to follow.

What else is coming? Read on.

JUMP AHEAD

• BYD Atto 2 (name not yet official)
• BYD ute (as yet unnamed)
• BYD Seal U SUV
• BYD Sea Lion 07
• BYD U7 (Tesla Model S rival)
• BYD U8 (large off-road SUV)

BYD ‘Atto 2’

BYD has yet to officially unveil its new small SUV, but images and details published by the Chinese government reveal more than a few key details.

As a small SUV, the ‘Atto 2’ (Yuan Up in China) will take its styling cues from the popular and larger Atto 3. If it comes to Australia, expect the Atto 2 to slot in above the Dolphin hatch, with pricing… well, that’s complicated. Read more here.

⬆️ Back to top

BYD ute

Already spotted testing in Australia and ‘unveiled’ in revealing patent images, BYD’s rival for the likes of the Ranger and HiLux will launch with a plug-in hybrid drive system.

With combined petrol and electric power, BYD is said to be targeting a 1000km-plus driving range. Those that want a more pure electrified ute will be served later, with an all-electric version to follow in late 2025 or early 2026.

⬆️ Back to top

BYD Seal U SUV

Unveiled in 2022, the mid-sized BYD Seal U electric SUV is expected to reach Australia this year as a direct sales threat to the popular Tesla Model Y.

Although BYD has yet to announce this new EV as its next Australian model, the brand has strongly hinted to Wheels that a new BYD spied testing in Australia recently is indeed the Seal U – leaving us to speculate with confidence.

Learn more about the Seal U at the featured story link above, or click here.

⬆️ Back to top

BYD U7 (Tesla Model S rival)

In January, BYD revealed its rival to large luxury EVs like the BMW i5, Mercedes EQE and Tesla Model S.

Full details are still to come, but the U7 is understood to feature four electric motors – one at each wheel – and produce more than 1000hp (745kW).

Whether we’ll see this model in Australia is unclear, with the brand’s local arm yet to comment on its potential.

⬆️ Back to top

BYD Sea Lion 07

Late last year, BYD unveiled its latest electric offering for China, in the form of the Sea Lion 07 coupe-SUV.

The Sea Lion 07 wears a more sleek and aggressive design than the Seal U revealed a year earlier, looking more than a little like the Seal sedan it shares a name with.

In China, the Seal Lion 07 will neatly undercut the Tesla Model Y, with a low starting price of 200,000 yuan ($42,650), while a recent price cut now sees the Model Y start from 299,900 in China ($63,775).

Will we see it in Australia? Likely not in 2024, but perhaps later.

⬆️ Back to top

6

BYD U8

LandCruiser 300 rival a shoo-in for Australia, if a little late out of the gate.

The big U8 SUV, BYD’s first premium model under its ‘Yangwang’ brand in China, is reportedly a strong contender for an Australian launch – although local boss Luke Todd has indicated it’ll be at least two years away, with right-hand-drive models still in development.

Although it’s a big LandCruiser 300-sized SUV, the U8 is powered by a seemingly modest 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine matched to electric power in a plugin-hybrid arrangement. Dive deeper, though, and it’s not so modest: the electric side of the equation is four motors, equally a huge 880kW and 1280Nm. That’ll do.

⬆️ Back to top

6

EXISTING MODELS

BYD’s Australian line-up now includes three models: the Atto 3 SUV, the Seal sedan and the Dolphin hatch. Learn more about each model at their respective WhichCar pages.

⬆️ Back to top