Prior to June 2023 not many Irish motorists had heard of the BYD car brand. MDL, who distribute the BYD (Build your Dreams) range of cars in Ireland played on that fact with the advertising line ‘The biggest car brand you have never heard of’.
But less than 12 months on, that catchy line is probably going out of date, as BYD has quickly climbed to third place in the sales chart of electric cars in Ireland. Yes, SIMI figures at the end of February showed that the Chinese brand came in third, behind VW and Hyundai – that’s some progress.
The first model we got to see was the Atto 3, then came the Dolphin, but very quickly BYD’s third model – the Seal – which I drove last week, had overtaken the Atteo 3 and Dolphin in sales.
Word of mouth is probably as good as any good marketing campaign and a lot of people are talking about BYD. By the time the summer is over more people are going to be familiar with the brand as BYD were recently confirmed as one of the sponsors for the 2024 European Soccer Championship. No doubt will see advertising boards with BYD ads on our television screens when the action is slowed down for VAR replays in France.
While the first two cars from BYD got much attention for their value for money, the Seal is a rival for other electric sports saloons like the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai Ioniq 6 in the D-segment.
This is BYD’s second car in the Ocean series after the Dolphin, using the company’s new ‘Ocean Aesthetics’ design language. It combines a sleek coupe look and athletic appearance with impressive levels of comfort and safety.
A huge15.6-inch infotainment screen dominates the dash; it rotates and you can use it in a vertical or horizontal position. And if you have any difficult using any of the controls all you have to say is ‘Hi BYD’ and a young lady will do it for you remotely.
It takes a little while to get used to the indicators stalk being located to the right of the steering wheel. Kia cars also had the indictor stalk to the right of the steering wheel when they were first introduced to Ireland. But they changed and now like most other cars brands the indicators stalk in all Kia cars is located to the left of the steering wheel. I’m sure BYD will also switch to the left in due course. The neat gear lever is one of the cutest I have seen.
There is ample room for five adults, however the boot is a bit tight as the aperture is narrow. You also get a 53-litre Frunk at the front to store a few small items. There is a six-year warranty and the battery is guaranteed for eight years, It’s very fast and will get you from zero to 100km in 3.8 seconds, if it’s speed you want.
The Seal is available in six different colours. My test car came in a very attractive white; the sun was shining that Monday morning and I thought I was back in Gran Canaria.
This is a truly gorgeous car, white on the outside and a lovely touch of light blue in the interior, on the doors and seats. There is a very attractive lighting design at the front, while the rear also has a light stretching all the way across.
BYD are definitely making a big push for sales in Europe. They are currently building a new factory in Hungary and they have bought a few huge boats that can transport up to 7,000 vehicles on each boat from China to ports like Rotterdam in Europe.
With the experienced MDL group behind them, I think BYD are on to a winner. Five new dealer appointments were made recently in: Dublin North, Dublin South, Cork, Waterford and Wexford. Other dealer announcements are imminent.
Two versions of the Seal are available, ‘Design’ and ‘Excellence’. Prices start at €44,036 for the Design and €49,836 for the Excellence. The quoted ranges are Design 570km and the Excellence 520km. And those figures are fairly accurate.
 range of cars in Ireland played on that fact with the advertising line ‘The biggest car brand you have never heard of’.){kind=link}