BYD Oceanic Nomenclature Clarified 

In New Zealand, BYD is launching 15 new models in the next two years. And the existing aquatic-themed line-up and numerals hint at what some of those new models might be. 

You’d have to assume that the BYD Sealion 7 which has just entered the UK market is one for the New Zealand hitlist. It goes up against the likes of EV6, Ioniq 5 and ID.5. SL7 will be offered there with a single-motor and 83kWh battery. There’s also a dual-motor 390kW AWD variant with a 4.5sec sprint time. 

A second AWD version features the same drivetrain but a bigger battery (93kWh) with faster changing capability. 

They all come with a heat-pump as standard, and vehicle to load functionality. At 4830mm, Sealion 7 is slightly longer than Seal saloon and features coupe SUV styling. Some design cues come from Seal and Dolphin.

Mention of that pair; BYD recently confirmed that in the future all SUVs will take the Sealion moniker with a number that denotes size. Hence, Sealion 7 is bigger than Sealion 6 that we already take. SL7 will likely be bookended by both a larger, boxier SUV at some point, as well as more compact models. One of these will be the replacement for the existing Atto 3, presumably renamed as Sealion 3. 

In the same way, saloons will be Seals and hatchbacks known as Dolphins. 

These new names will be market specific. Sealion 7 might be called something else in China or other markets. 

Whether or not BYD’s wee Seagull city EV comes here is unclear but that’s unlikely. Even if it does, it won’t be known as that. Rather, it will likely take on Dolphin 1 badging. 

Meantime, Shark is dotting down here and has evidently proved a hit in Mexico. So much so that BYD is considering taking it to Europe as well.