The new BYD Seal electric sedan underwent thorough crash testing according to Euro NCAP’s regulations. This led to an outstanding 5-star crash safety rating. BYD Seal ‘Design’ trim 4X2 LHD model was the vehicle under test. It is a sedan with four doors that weighs a total of 2091 kg. The tested model included side and front airbags but no knee airbags.
Standard fittings included kits with load limiters, child presence detectors, seat belt pre-tensioners, and reminders to buckle up. Several ADAS functions, such as auto-braking (front and rear), speed assistance, lane assistance, and fatigue recognition, were included in the active safety kit as standard equipment.
Euro NCAP assessed the BYD Seal electric sedan for frontal impact, lateral impact, and rear impact in adult occupant crash tests. The vehicle received scores of 13.5/16 for frontal impact, 16/16 for lateral impact, 3.7/4 for rear impact, and 2.5/4 for extrication during rescue. With all of this added up, BYD Seal received 35.8 points overall, or 89% of the possible points for adult occupant protection.
In crash tests using children ages six and ten, BYD Seal received a perfect score of 24 out of 24 in the area of kid protection. Safety features received 7 out of 13 points, and CRS installation check tests received 12 out of 12. Euro NCAP gave 87% positive accident outcomes for child safety out of a possible 43 points.
BYD Seal received a total score of 51.7 points, or 82%, in the test for vulnerable road users, and a total score of 13.8 points, or 76%, in the test for safety systems. With the structure of the car proving stable in the terrible event of a collision, BYD has given the BYD Seal electric sedan a total of five stars for all of these factors.
When will the BYD Seal make its Indian debut?
Given that the firm made its debut in India at the 2023 Auto Expo, BYD Seal is very significant for the country. Even the official BYD India website went up with Seal. On BYD India‘s website, a sizable hero section displays striking headline numbers for the Seal sedan.
Speaking of impressive stats, the BYD Seal can reach 100 km/h from a standstill in just 3.8 seconds, placing it in the class of high-end sports cars. 700 km of range on a single charge, a 50:50 weight distribution, and an air drag coefficient of 0.219 Cd are also included.
Such performance stats are achievable with the top-spec 82.5 kWh battery-equipped vehicle, which has a dual motor arrangement and 530 horsepower and 670 Nm in addition to AWD. A less expensive variant has a single-motor RWD architecture with 204 horsepower and a 61.4 kWh battery.
Base BYD Seal costs 1.32 million Baht (about Rs. 30 lakh) in Thailand. We could only anticipate the higher-spec car, which would likely retail for about Rs. 60 lakh and compete with the likes of the BMW i4 and Kia EV6 when it is introduced in India in 2024. We hope BYD releases the Seagull hatchback in India as well.
