Dual Personality Works for Smaller Sealion

BYD's plug-in hybrid mid-sized crossover offers the range of a diesel and the smoothness of an electric vehicle

- Christopher Tan

For reasons unknown to me, plug-in hybrid cars are turning up like mushrooms after rain. In the last 10 months, I have driven six of them. Before that, they were as infrequent as a cool night in July.

The latest one here is the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i. It is the first model imported here by the Chinese company that is not fully electric, which is a peculiar turn of events. Usually, legacy automotive companies are the ones which produce hybrids because they feel that their customers are not ready for full electrification.

Perhaps the Chinese are beginning to realise that too. Indeed, many markets in the world are not ready for electrification.

It does not matter that plug-in hybrids need to be plugged in even more frequently than full-electric cars, if they are to deliver on their full potential. All that matters is that they meet higher emission standards, which sometimes come with incentives. That, of course, is based on the assumption that owners keep the battery constantly charged.

Not all plug-in hybrids are created equal. The Sealion 6 DM-i ranks quite high on the totem pole. It is powered by a 1.5-litre normally aspirated engine paired with a powerful electric motor. When its 18.3kWh battery is amply charged, the duo produce 291hp and 300Nm of torque.