BYD dealerships open order books for Chinese brand's first PHEV

The UK's growing network of BYD dealerships has opened order books for the Chinese brand's first PHEV, the Seal U DM-i.

The Seal U is a D-segment SUV, priced from £33,205, that will compete with the Ford Kuga and Kia Sportage, and like all plug-in hybrid cars it enables buyers to benefit from zero-emission electric-driven motoring for local journeys and a petrol engine for longer trips to avoid any charge and range anxiety.

Based on BYD's existing Seal saloon, the new Seal U has BYD's DM-i hybrid powertrain beneath the bonney, which combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine and electric motor, and derivatives will be available in front- and all-wheel-drive configurations.

The entry-spec Boost version uses front-wheel-drive and it can acheive a zero-emission range of 50 miles. 

The more powerful Design model, priced from £39,905, has two electric motors and all-wheel-drive, and it has an electric range of 43 miles.

In China, the Seal U is also available with a choice of two fully-electric powertrains, and these offer ranges of between 323 and 376 miles from its 71kWh and 87kWh batteries respectively.

The BYD Seal U BEV version  is expected to be available in the UK later.

Standard equipment on the BYD Seal U SUV includes intelligent driver assistance with a multitude of features, with active and passive functionality, 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, vegan leather upholstery, wireless phone charging, an Infinity premium sound system and a 15.6-inch rotating infotainment screen. 

BYD is a major sponsor of the Euro 2024 football championship and it recently announced it will sponsor the Boardmasters festival in the UK.

AM100 dealer groups alread signed up with BYD franchises include Lookers, Swansway, LSH Auto UK and Pentagon.

BYD is one of China's largest businesses, involved in a variety of sectors including battery production and electric vehicles.