BYD will undercut the Kia Sportage and Ford Kuga with a new plug-in hybrid SUV called the Sea Lion 5, available to order now from just under £30,000.
The Sea Lion 5 is BYD’s ninth cars in the UK, and its fourth PHEV, joining the technically related Seal-U, Seal 6 and Atto 2 ‘DM-i’.
Measuring 4.74m long – putting it about halfway between the Kia Sportage and Sorento, for reference – the Sealion 5 is equipped with a PHEV powertrain which combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine with an EV motor for 215bhp and a 0-62mph time of as little as 7.7 seconds.
Electric energy is stored in either a 13kWh or 18.3kWh battery, the latter of which is good for 53 miles of EV range, and helps the SUV achieve 134.5mpg and combined CO2 emissions of just 48g/km on the WLTP cycle.
It’s available in two trims: entry-level Comfort, at £29,995, includes vegan leather upholster, a 12.8in rotating touchscreen, smartphone mirroring, six-way adjustable driver’s seat and a rear-view camera.
Top-spec Design trim – with the largest available battery – adds £3000 and brings welcome lights, an electric boot lid, front parking sensors, a 360deg camera, wireless phone charger and heated front seats.
The first cars are due in UK showrooms from 7 February, with customer deliveries to begin shortly after.
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