BYD Seal 07 replacement emerges in China just five months after launch

A new BYD Seal 07 has surfaced in Chinese government certification filings, revealing a replacement for the current electric sedan introduced only five months ago, when it joined plug-in hybrid (PHEV) versions in Chinese showrooms.

The current Seal 07 electric vehicle (EV) was launched in China in March 2026 as a rival to battery-powered sedans including the Tesla Model 3, Mazda EZ-6 – sold in Australia as the Mazda 6e – and Xpeng P7.

According to CarNewsChina, the new Chinese-market Seal 07 measures 5080mm long, 1960mm wide and 1495mm tall on a 2960mm wheelbase.

That makes it 159mm longer than the 4921mm Mazda 6e, as well as 240mm longer than the BYD Seal 6 sedan and wagon sold in Australia, and 280mm longer than the BYD Seal electric sedan.

The new Seal 07 is also 85mm longer and 50mm wider than the current Seal 07 EV it's set to replace, which measures 4995mm long and 1910mm wide.

The figures come from certification filings with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which has listed both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid versions of the new Seal 07 ahead of its launch.

BYD typically drops the zero from some Chinese-market model names for export markets, but the new Seal 07 has not been confirmed for Australia, where it could be badged Seal 7 if offered locally.

Australian government filings published in May 2026 suggest the Seal 7 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) will become BYD's second PHEV sedan in local showrooms, following the Seal 6 launched earlier this year.

The new Seal 07 EV is listed with a rear-mounted electric motor producing 245kW in entry-level form, 5kW more than the current model, while a more powerful version produces 300kW. Battery capacities and claimed driving ranges have yet to be revealed.

The outgoing Seal 07 EV uses a 69kWh second-generation Blade battery to deliver a CLTC-rated driving range of 705km, with Chinese pricing starting at ¥169,900 (around A$35,700).

That makes it pricier than the Mazda EZ-6 EV, which starts from around ¥139,800 (A$29,358) in China, but cheaper than the Tesla Model 3, which starts from ¥235,500 (A$49,455) in China.

In Australia, the Mazda 6e starts at $49,990 before on-road costs, while the Model 3 starts at $54,900 before on-roads.

The new Seal 07 DM-i plug-in hybrid combines a 115kW 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with a 160kW electric motor powered by a 38.03kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.

BYD claims an electric-only range of 245km on the CLTC cycle.

The current Seal 07 DM-i was launched in China in September 2025, several months before the current Seal 07 EV arrived.

The rapid replacement may be a response to weak demand for the existing Seal 07, which recorded just 627 Chinese sales in June, according to CarNewsChina.

The Seal remains BYD Australia’s best-selling sedan, recording 394 sales in July 2026, almost double the Seal 6’s 199 deliveries including sedan and wagon body styles combined.

Both were well behind the Sealion 7 mid-size electric SUV, which found 2548 new customers in July to rank fourth overall behind only the Toyota RAV4, Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger.

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