BYD SEAL 6

Chinese giant's plug-in hybrid estate has the Skoda Superb in its sights

- ILLYA VERPRAET

Volvo may be wavering, but BMW, Audi, Peugeot and a bunch of others still believe estate cars are worth doing, even if it’s only the European market that's really interested. Now BYD is joining the fold with the Seal 6, a Skoda Superb-sized saloon or estate.

Whereas the existing Seal saloon is a rear-wheel-drive EV, the Seal 6 is a front-wheel-drive plugin hybrid. As such, it’s much more closely related to the Seal U SUV.

The drivetrain is very different from what you find in the Superb iV PHEV and most comparable to Honda's hybrid system. A 194bhp electric motor is the main driving force, with a 97bhp 1.5-litre atmo petrol engine mostly there to drive a secondary motor-generator and feed electricity to the battery. There is a lockup clutch in the single-speed transaxle for the engine to directly drive the wheels, though.