BYD Seal 6 DM-1 Variant — 2,000 Kilometer Vary, $15,340. Anyone Need One?

Final Up to date on: sixth July 2025, 12:53 am

BYD retains flooding the zone with new fashions. It now has a plug-in car for almost each worth vary and retains including extra. The newest goodie from Shenzhen is the Seal 6 DM-1 Variant, a 4.8 meter (16 foot) lengthy plug-in hybrid wagon with as much as 2000 km (1240 mi) of whole vary utilizing the beneficiant Chinese language commonplace.

Inside, the BYD Seal 6 DM-1 can carry 5 passengers with 670 liters (23 cu ft) of room for his or her stuff. With the rear seat folded, cargo capability jumps to 1535 liters (54 cu ft). To place that into perspective, the Chevy Equinox EV has 26.4 cubic toes of cargo room with the second row seatback up and 57.2 cubic toes with it down. The automotive might be out there in three trim ranges, beginning at $15,320 with a ten kWh battery.

The fifth-generation BYD plug-in hybrid system has a 1.5 liter naturally aspirated engine with 74 kW (99 hp) that’s paired with a 120 kW (161 hp) electrical motor. It will probably attain 100 km/h in 8.7 seconds and makes use of 3.15 liters of gasoline each 100 km, which interprets to about 74 mpg. Battery solely vary is about 80 km (50 mi).

A second powertrain possibility makes use of the identical engine however provides a extra highly effective 160 kW (215 hp) electrical motor and an 18.7 kWh battery. That mixture slices a full second off the 0 to 100 km/h run and will increase the battery-only vary to about 150 km (90 mi). The BYD Blade battery will be charged from 30 to 80 p.c in 25 minutes. As a result of this model is heavier, its gasoline consumption is 4.25 liters per 100 km, or about 55 mpg. These numbers would in all probability be a couple of third decrease within the EPA ranking scheme, however that’s irrelevant since this automotive is rarely coming to the US.

BYD Seal 6 DM-1 Specs

Based on Automotive Information China, the BYD Seal 6 DM-1 Variant comes commonplace with a 12.8-inch display, an 8.8-inch LCD instrument cluster, six audio system, six airbags, LED headlights, plus heated and ventilated entrance seats. It is usually outfitted with BYD’s God’s Eye C — in any other case often called DiPilot 100 — drive help system, which makes use of 12 cameras, 5 mm wave radars, and 12 ultrasonic radars. The “100” quantity signifies the system’s computing energy in trillion operations per second (TOPS). God’s Eye C is able to navigating on autopilot on limited-access highways.

In high of the road trim, the BYD Seal 06 DM-i Variant comes with a bigger 15.6 inch display, eight audio system, and 7 airbags. It is usually outfitted with the BYD DiSus-C damping system that enhances driving consolation with fast-acting solenoid valves that alter in milliseconds to altering street circumstances.

Costs for the BYD Seal 06 DM-i Variant are as follows:

• BYD Seal 06 DM-i wagon 80 km Noble — 109,800 yuan ($15,320)
• BYD Seal 06 DM-i wagon 150 km Unique — 119,800 yuan ($16,720)
• BYD Seal 06 DM-i wagon 150 km Flagship — 129,800 yuan (18,115 )

Ideas On Variants

There was a time when each suburban house in America had a station wagon parked within the driveway. They have been simply manufacturing sedans with the roof prolonged backwards to the rear bumper and have been unbelievable for carpools and hauling stuff from Level A to Level B. The custom dates again to the enduring Ford “woodie” so fashionable with surfers earlier than the Volkswagen Transporter got here alongside.

Some known as these vehicles seashore wagons, others known as them ranch wagons, however they have been all actually massive automobiles that might swallow monumental quantities of stuff or sleep two on blowup mattresses. American Motors began the development for “fold again seats” immortalized by Carly Simon as she sang about her former lover tenting out “by the lakes and forests” together with his new squeeze.

Such automobiles are generally known as a “taking pictures brake” in Jollye Olde Englande or a “variant” on the Continent. America’s love affair with the station wagon has waned over time, changed first by minivans and later by SUV lust. Personally, I used to be at all times smitten with the assortment of midsize wagons from Volvo, Volkswagen, and BMW. For some time, I believed my good automotive could be a Volkswagen Passat TDI wagon with a 6-speed transmission. I used to be actively trying to find one when the information about Dieselgate broke.

The BYD Seal 6 DM-1 can be a derivation of these iconic American wagons, just like the Ford LTD Nation Squire, which was actually simply an prolonged roof model of the LTD sedan. The DM-1 is simply an prolonged roof model of the Seal 6 sedan.

Why a wagon? That’s an attention-grabbing query. They’re just about nonexistent within the US, however have a loyal following in Europe. In China, most prospects want an SUV, so why is BYD placing assets into the wagon model of the Seal 6? The reply, in a phrase, is aerodynamics. A wagon is somewhat slipperier than an SUV. On this planet of EVs — which incorporates plug-in hybrids — aerodynamic effectivity is a crucial consideration.

That poses a conundrum for producers. Clients need the taller, much less environment friendly vehicles; automakers need the slipperiest vehicles doable to allow them to promote vary estimates which are larger than the competitors. Whereas some Chinese language prospects could select a wagon, it’s doable BYD is de facto centered on promoting the DM-1 in Europe.

BYD Has Its Eye On The Future

The corporate will start producing vehicles in Hungary this fall and is developing a second manufacturing unit in Turkey. Based on the newest information experiences, it’s presently exploring choices for a 3rd European manufacturing unit. Autos made in these factories might be exempt from the tariffs the European Union imposes on vehicles imported from China. That, in flip, ought to give it a major benefit over its fellow Chinese language producers within the European market. Does BYD plan to assemble the DM-1 in Europe? If that’s the case, it may very well be chasing a candy spot out there.

As my colleague Jose Pontes famous lately, “PHEVs are pushing the[European] market upwards, leaping 48% YoY in Could. That’s PHEVs’ highest development charge in over three years. They have been spearheaded by the #3 BYD Seal U PHEV (aka euro-spec BYD Music PHEV), whereas the 2 automotive juggernauts Volkswagen and Toyota additionally helped issues alongside because of the #12 VW Tiguan PHEV and #14 Toyota C-HR PHEV, respectively. PHEVs scored near 110,000 gross sales in Could, and their YTD numbers are actually up 18% to 478,000 models.”

At CleanTechnica, we now have blended emotions about plug-in hybrids. We have a tendency to consider them as a gateway to battery electrical vehicles. Their drivers get used to plugging them in, the peacefulness of driving on electrons as a substitute of molecules, and the expertise of one-pedal driving because of regenerative braking. Alternatively, the value of the automotive pays for 2 powertrains and the proprietor remains to be saddled with all of the burdens of sustaining a combustion engine and transmission.

The equalizer, in fact, is a PHEV blows away any fears about working out of battery energy or trying to find a charging station on a stormy night time removed from house. Apparently, that final half is the deciding issue for a lot of. We BEV drivers are likely to pooh-pooh all that vary anxiousness stuff as a result of we drive our electrical vehicles each day and know that vary anxiousness is de facto a lot much less of a priority than folks make it out to be.

However in case you are placing your personal cash on the road, and are afraid of the unknown, a plug-in hybrid is a solution to hedge your bets. We all know that individuals purchase on emotion and justify their resolution later with details. Based mostly on the gross sales information, there are lots of people who’re simply not keen to make the leap to battery-electric driving simply but. BYD has a eager eye for the place the market is headed and appears poised to get out forward of the surge in PHEV gross sales. Good for it.

To my eye, the Seal 6 DM-1 is a properly styled midsize wagon with a number of options. If I might purchase one within the US for $20,000, I might in all probability be on my solution to my native BYD vendor proper now. However there aren’t any BYD sellers within the US, extra’s the pity.