After a year of declining sales and after the electric Atto 3 lost its title as the best-selling car in the country, BYD launches a new crossover that may bring back that title.
The Sea Lion 5 is a large family crossover with plug-in hybrid power, aimed directly at this year’s best-selling car in the country, the JAC 7 plug-in. Israel will be the first market in Europe to receive it.
With a length of 4.74 meters, width of 1.86 meters, and height of 1.71 meters, it is larger than the American models of the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, and also the 7-seater Chery Tiggo 8. The wheelbase measures 2.71 meters.
A 1,500 cc engine and an electric motor together produce 213 horsepower. The offer includes two battery options:
The base model (from NIS 167,000) has a 13 kWh battery and an electric range of 63 km. Combined fuel consumption: 18.2 km per liter. Performance: 0–100 km/h in 7.7 seconds and a top speed of 170 km/h.
The more equipped model has an 18.6 kWh battery, allowing a range of 86 km. Top speed and fuel consumption are identical. Both models support slow charging at 3.3 kW and can power external electric devices.
The base Comfort model comes with 18-inch wheels, synthetic leather seats, an 8.8-inch digital instrument panel, and a 12.8-inch multimedia screen, with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.
For the first time at BYD, the company has abandoned the gimmick of rotating the screen on its axis, horizontally or vertically. There are also rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, and a dashcam (DVR).
The more equipped Design model adds a power tailgate, heated front seats, wireless mobile charging, and a 360-degree camera. Neither version offers a sunroof.
The model has not yet been tested in the European crash test. It includes autonomous emergency braking for forward and reverse driving, adaptive cruise control, lane departure correction, automatic high beam, and more.
The car comes with a 6-year or 150,000 km warranty for the battery and a 6-year or 200,000 km warranty for the vehicle.
The Sea Lion 5 is NIS 13,000 cheaper than the base versions of other plug-ins like the JAC 7 and Lynk 02, and NIS 3,000 cheaper than the Chery Tiggo 7, while being better equipped. It is also cheaper than non-plug-in hybrid crossovers like the Kia Niro and Toyota Corolla Cross.
The market share of plug-in vehicles in the country doubled this year to 10%, almost all Chinese. However, a large part of the success is attributed to the significant tax benefit for those who choose them as a company car. This benefit is expected to be canceled or at least drastically reduced next year.
Guest writer: BYD in China