PHEV that set the revolution in motion

BYD SEALION G

- Eyaaz Matwadia

It seems like the BYD Sealion 6 was released a long time ago, but it was only in April that the Chinese manufacturer brought this plugin hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) to South Africa.

It was the first PHEV to retail under R1 million in the country and at the time, this felt groundbreaking.

It felt like it was the vehicle that could really make an impact for BYD in the South African market as its catalog only contained pure electric vehicles (EV).

EVs have struggled in South Africa due to a number of factors such as range anxiety and lack of charging infrastructure, but the Sealion 6 eliminated those fears, being a hybrid. To top it all off, it did it at a reasonable price.

Little did we know that other brands like Chery, Haval, Omoda and Jaecoo would follow suit and by the end of the year, we would have a variety of PHEVs that cost under R1 million to choose from. But it must be noted that the Sealion 6 was the vehicle that set this new-energy revolution in full motion.

It took me a long time to get it for a test, but when it finally arrived, I was excited because BYD usually knows how to throw a vehicle together in the most beautiful way.

I was also excited because I've tested many of the Chinese PHEVs that cost less than R1 million, so comparatively speaking, it would be easy to assess where the BYD Sealion 6 sits amongst its competitors.

The exterior

At first, I was not quite sure where I sat with the exterior. It's bold, it has a sporty design and looks very aerodynamic.

The front has a U-shaped headlight design that blends in well with the overall aesthetic of the vehicle.

At the back, it's a case of, the closer you get, the better it looks. The BYD Sealion 6's rear design features full-width connected LED taillights with a refined water drop dot matrix pattern. The standout feature is a continuous, full-length LED light bar that runs across the entire tail.