Tesla's biggest competitor cuts price of its most affordable electric car ahead of arrival in Europe

Expected in France in the coming months, the little BYD Seagull has a new version and becomes even cheaper. The electric car, rival of the Dacia Spring, now starts at less than 9,000 euros in China. A price which should however be revised upwards here.

If you are a loyal reader of Survoltés, you have undoubtedly already heard of BYD. And for good reason, the Chinese manufacturer has a good reputation here, battling with Tesla to become the world's number 1 in electric vehicles – even managing to surpass it in the last quarter of 2023.

A small price drop

Here, the Shenzhen-based firm already has a well-stocked range, from the Dolphin to the Seal, including the Atto 3 and the new Seal U. BYD does not intend to stop there, quite the contrary. Especially since he predicts a price war even more intense than ever in the coming months.

This is how the manufacturer has made price reductions on some of its models in France, as part of the Lunar New Year, but not only that. Its Atto 3 SUV also benefited from a price drop, as did its Han sedan, which also improved on certain points. But that's not all for the firm, which wants to launch its Yangwang U8 in Europe. The latter also announces a lowering of the price of its smallest electric car, the Seagull.

A small drop is only valid in China, as specified on the Electrek site since the city car is not yet sold here. This should soon be the case, with a launch planned for later this year. It is therefore this new version that should arrive on the Old Continent, displaying an unbeatable price.

The Seagull starts from 69,800 yuan in its entry-level Active version, which is equivalent to around 8,900 euros according to the current exchange rate. This is a decrease of 5% compared to the previous version.

A price which should, however, be significantly increased when the car arrives in Europe. The Seagull features a small, recently awarded LFP (lithium–iron–phosphate) Blade battery. Its capacity ranges between 30.08 and 38.88 kWh and allows the city car to display a range of between 305 and 405 kilometers. Be careful, because this figure is understood according to the Chinese CLTC cycle, more optimistic than our European WLTP.

A major rival

This would then give us between 259 and 344 kilometers for us, which is quite low and certainly not enough to reassure motorists, who want at least 400 kilometers. Which is, however, an error. Especially since the city car is compatible with fast charging, and can recharge from 30 to 80% in 30 minutes. The power that can be absorbed by the battery is between 30 and 40 kW depending on the size of the latter.

The most expensive version of the small Chinese car starts from 85,800 yuan, which works out to around 10,935 euros. Enough to give a cold sweat to its rival, the Dacia Spring, which starts at 18,400 euros and is no longer eligible for the ecological bonus in France. For the record, the Spring claims 65 horsepower and a range of 230 kilometers. The BYD Seagull will also chase the new Renault 5 E-Tech, the Citroën ë-C3, and the Hyundai Casper, among others.

This new version also brings some improvements, with the arrival of a new 10.1-inch pivoting touch screen, like the rest of the range. The car is also equipped with DiLink connectivity, which allows the driver to interact with it and watch videos, among other things. The electric city car is also equipped with level 2 autonomous driving as well as regenerative braking, among others.

In terms of power, it delivers up to 74 horsepower for a torque of 135 Nm, while 0 to 50 km/h is achieved in 4.9 seconds. That's better than the Dacia Spring's 5.8 seconds. It remains to be seen when this new variant will arrive in Europe. However, it should not be eligible for the ecological bonus, due to its manufacture in China.

Finally, note that this first price reduction could only be a first step, since BYD intends to equip its Seagull with a sodium battery, even more economical than its current battery. Its release date has not yet been announced, but it could make this little electric city car unbeatable.