[vellatechie]

A 3.8 sec 0-100 car for 53L? Holy cow!

[antz.bin]

The company happiest with this launch will be Tata EVs. They would be happy that BYD still don't seem to be too serious for the Indian market. No price cut on the Atto3 and so this one is priced in line with that strategy.

Without Tesla in the picture and MG still selling 3-year-old models as their flagship, BYD has no incentive to drop prices on its latest and greatest.

The performance, wheelbase and length of the 45.5 lakh Seal Premium are in the same ballpark of the 70-80 lakh A6 / 3 Series.

The AWD Performance variant is offering performance of cars priced at 1.5Cr cars like the M4 / C63 AMG for 1/3rd the price.

I really hope Tesla comes in soon and brings some much needed corrections to these inflated EV prices.

[ferrarirules]

The pricing is killer. The base model has all the features and has an range equivalent to IONIQ5. With drag coefficient of 0.219 cd it beats IONIQ5 by a mile. The only challenge will be 145 mm ground clearance which lower than IONIQ 5's 163mm

Originally Posted by sri_tesla

Can someone give the details of the actual import taxes on the cars like Atto3 and Seal?

Import duty on CKD cars is 15%. Import duty on CBU cars above $40,000 is 100% and below is 70%

Originally Posted by FourBanger

Was there any mention about ground clearance of seal while launch ?

The ground clearance unladen in 145 mm. It is mentioned in the brochure.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by antz.bin

---

I really hope Tesla comes in soon and brings some much needed corrections to these inflated EV prices.

At this pricing and many more BYD offing's planned for India, Tesla might have to abort its India plans.

[AtheK]

Great pricing, and best thing is that they have not skimmed feature list on the base version, it is pretty much similarly loaded to top end except the technical specifications.

Hopefully this car does well.

[newenergy]

I guess the pricing reflects the vertical integration benefit that BYD has. Other OEMs have to source the most expensive component which is the battery by paying a premium. But in the case of BYD, they might be saving a ton by putting in their own blade battery (also known as one of the safest and reliable).

I am really curious about what the price could be if they were to bring it via CKD.

[SR-71]

Nice pricing, autocar review - https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/byd/seal - has thumbs up for handling, comfort, value and range but gives a thumbs down for the UI, charging and ADAS. Comparatively Ioniq 5 beats Seal in those aspects but loses in the value and range race. It's time for EV6 to come out of the CBU mode and Enyaq to launch with sensible pricing. The lesser said about the German trio, the better, they will have to be content with a niche market. That market has its own set of customers who will happily pay the premium and I think they are happy with that.

The one thing that caught my eye was the tire sizing. Its 225/50/18 for the base variant 235/45/19 for the mid and top variant. Such a low profile might be risky on Indian roads, definitely on Bangalore roads!

[sandeepmdas]

Originally Posted by vattyboy

The top end-performance model with 530 bhp and 670 nm torque is priced at 53 lakhs is INSANE! 0-100 in 3.8 secs.

Can you imagine that just five years ago, who would have thought of a car with such specifications could be available for 53L ex-showroom?

Perhaps Comrade Lenin in his mausoleum, is eagerly awaiting the TBHP review of the Seal. After all, he was the one who declared that Communism is the combination of Soviet power and the electrification of the entire country.

I sincerely hope our Socialist Babus won't come up with ideas like separate tax slab for performance EVs on the basis of power/torque, just like the 4000mm rule.

[antz.bin]

BYD got to that amazing price with CBU taxes. Despite the CBU taxes, the Seal is competitive with where a Skoda Superb would have been had it been around while also offering more equipment. It is priced more competitively than even a Toyota Camry. With CKD, this could have been priced between 31-35 lakhs.

There is going to be blood on the street, the day BYD bring their entire EV portfolio to India as CKD / with localized production.

Xiaomi started a coup in India back in 2014 when they entered the market with the right products and the right prices. A strategy that helped them end up at #1 on the sales charts for many years to come. It took an India-China conflict to bring them down from #1.

BYD is a potential #1 car maker in India if they happen to start local production here for cars like the Seagull and Dolphin.

[sri_tesla]

Originally Posted by Hume

Second this.
Ridiculous pricing for CBU units! How??

BYD has a track record for aggressively pricing their vehicles globally, but seriously with these prices, they must be having wafer thin margins, if at all!

Aware of this, but how does the math work for BYD to price it at this price? Can anyone explain?

BYD sells the Seal base variant at RMB 1,89,800 (Rs 22 lakhs) in China. They have many electric vehicles (SUVs, sedans) with similar dimensions, and battery packs which start at even lower prices. They have been reducing the prices further this year for almost all their models and starting a price war to gain market share in China. BYD Qin plus EV which is slightly smaller than Seal EV, recently updated with starting prices of RMB 109,800 (Rs 13 lakhs).

As of now, they are playing it safe and trying to bring the models through the CBU route. They are selling these at similar prices to their domestic market for now. So, they are definitely not selling these at losses.

[ValarMorghulis]

What currently Chinese companies are doing in the auto market is s.c.a.r.y.
Germany will be impacted the most. EU is already considering trader barriers as is US.

Elon Musk has already said that:

Tesla CEO Musk: Chinese EV firms will 'demolish' rivals without trade barriers

Link

PS: The car has fabulous numbers and especially when it isn't skimping on features or interiors, it becomes a viable alternative. Also, look at that range! I still don't know if I'll buy a Chinese company owned car.

[GoBabyGo]

Hi, I think BYD put a strong case for themselves as a high quality & value for money EV manufacturer. Unlike Atto3 whose price disappoint everyone, Seal pricing bring a positive surprise, but there is a catch to it. My thoughts on the same:

Dynamic at 41L - This variant is only for low sticker price and may not sell because of 61kW battery pack and low range, compared to Premium variant, which offers much better value at just 4.5 lacs extra. Also Atto 3 with similar battery pack and crossover body style in the same showroom at 6 lacs less price bring some challenge to this variant.

Premium at 45.55L - Most VFM variant and suits everyone. However, 145mm ground clearance and IONIQ 5 for the same price, which also offers close to 450km to 475km real world range may be a tough challenge for BYD Seal. Also less than 25 dealers network + Sedan body style, may also be a reason that Seal going to be a 15-25 monthly sales in India.

Performance at 53L - Excellent specs, but Premium variant offers everything a car buyer need so may sell in single digit number (4-5 units) per month.

[pgsagar]

Looks like a very potent rival to EV6/Ioniq5 and to German performance cars as well.

[ferrarirules]

Originally Posted by antz.bin

I really hope Tesla comes in soon and brings some much needed corrections to these inflated EV prices.

Tesla won't be able to match these prices. If we back calculate the price for base model for BYD seal, the landed price (includes freight cost) comes out to Rs. 22.9 lakhs. That is so close to Tata, Mahindra and MG territory.

Calculation details:

Ex showroom - Rs. 41,00,000
Price without GST - Rs. 38,95,000
Price without import duty -70%(below $40,000 car) - Rs. 22,91,176

[m8002?]

Thats a great pricing.

BYD is a much more established brand than MG. I hope they are able to setup an assembly plant here (jumpstart with Ford's Chennai plant?) and reduce the price even more. They have some very good cars, including PHEVs in the lower segment as well.

Launch them in the 20-40 lacs range with good ASS, and it would be tough competition for Tata and Mahindra.