The Seal EV starts at about the same price as the Tesla Model 3 in Japan, BYD's highest price there.

BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) has launched the Seal electric sedan in Japan, a Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) Model 3 competitor that is its third passenger car model offered there.

The Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) maker today launched the Seal EV in Japan, offering two variants -- a single-motor rear-wheel drive version and a dual-motor all-wheel drive version -- and they start at 5.28 million yen ($33,140) and 6.05 million yen, respectively.

For comparison, the Tesla Model 3 offers three variants in Japan, including a rear-wheel drive version and 2 all-wheel drive variants, with starting prices of 5.313 million yen, 6.219 million yen, and 7.259 million yen, respectively.

The Seal EV offered by BYD in Japan comes standard with lithium iron phosphate batteries, both with a capacity of 82.56 kWh, which can provide a WLTC range of 640 kilometers for the rear-wheel-drive version and 575 kilometers for the all-wheel-drive version.

The model measures 4,800 mm in length, 1,875 mm in width and 1,460 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,920 mm, and its two variants weigh 2,100 kg and 2,210 kg respectively.

It can sprint from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 5.9 seconds for the single-motor variant and 3.8 seconds for the dual-motor version.

Initially launched in China on July 29, 2022, the BYD Seal was initially offered only in battery electric vehicle (BEV) version and is seen as one of the strongest rivals to the Tesla Model 3.

On September 6, 2023, BYD launched the hybrid Seal DM-i, expanding the Seal lineup.

Between late February and early March, BYD rolled out Glory edition updates for the Seal DM-i and Seal EV in a new round of major product updates.

The Seal EV now starts at RMB 179,800 (25,000) and the Seal DM-i at RMB 149,800 in China.

BYD announced its entry into the passenger car market in Japan on July 21, 2022, and started selling EVs in Japan on January 31, 2023.

The first model offered by the Chinese NEV maker in Japan is the Atto 3, which is known as the Yuan Plus in China and is BYD's first global model, which is currently priced at a starting price of 4.5 million yen in Japan.

Last September, BYD launched the Dolphin compact EV in Japan, where it currently starts at 3.63 million yen.

As of now, BYD has yet to offer its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) models in Japan. The Seal EV is the most expensive of its three models there.

BYD currently has 55 stores in Japan and aims to reach 90 by the end of 2024 and 100 by the end of 2025.

BYD sold 331,817 NEVs in May, including 37,499 in overseas markets, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.

($1 = JPY 159.35, $1 = RMB 7.2596)

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