BYD teases another electric SUV to rival the Tesla Model Y

BYD is set to reveal a new electric crossover on November 17 at the Guangzhou motor show in China, which will join its Ocean series of vehicles.

The Chinese carmaker giant has released a selection of design sketches for the BYD Sea Lion 07, as reported by Car News China, showing its exterior design is inspired by the Ocean-X concept from 2021.

The Sea Lion 07 also looks a little like a high-riding ‘coupe SUV’ version of the Seal sedan, for which orders were recently opened in Australia.

According to the Car News China, the BYD Sea Lion 07 has been designed by a team led by ex-Audi and Lamborghini chief designer Wolfgang Egger.

BYD hasn’t provided much information about the Sea Lion 07 at this stage apart from confirming it’s underpinned by its e-Platform 3.0 architecture, like the existing Atto 3 SUV, Dolphin hatchback, and Seal sedan.

It’s unclear how different this forthcoming electric SUV will be from the Chinese carmaker’s existing range of mid-sized electric SUVs. These include the recently detailed Song L and Seal U, among others.

A spokesperson for local BYD distributor EVDirect recently said a mid-sized SUV will be “on the product list for sale and delivery in 2024”, but didn’t confirm the exact model and type.

It’s unclear if this mid-sized SUV will be the Sea Lion 07, or another from the brand’s existing arsenal. A plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Seal U prototype was recently spied in Australia.

As previously reported, BYD is bringing four new electric vehicles (EVs) to Australia.

In addition to the existing Atto 3 SUV, these include the Dolphin hatchback, Seal sedan, previously confirmed “muscle ute”, as well as the unspecified mid-size SUV.

“We’re excited to be bringing the types of cars Australians want,” Luke Todd, CEO of BYD’s local distributor EVDirect, told CarExpert.

According to the company’s Australian distributor, the plan is for BYD to achieve 50,000 annual sales here over the next few years, supported by an expansion of its EV line-up.