425 mm longer, now with lidar and flash charging! BYD's second-gen Seagull launches from $9,420 with trade-in

BYD held the launch event for the second-generation Seagull at the Zhengzhou circuit on October 20, rolling out five trims with official prices from 65,900 to 99,900 yuan (about $9,870 to $14,960) and limited-time trade-in prices from 62,900 to 96,900 yuan (about $9,420 to $14,510). As the A00-class electric car that reached a million cumulative sales faster than any other, the Seagull has been completely renewed, growing substantially longer and moving up to five seats while adding God's Eye B lidar driver assist, a second-generation Blade Battery and megawatt flash charging, with the chassis switching to rear drive and a multi-link independent rear suspension, pushing high-end features down into the 60,000 to 100,000 yuan bracket and set to reshape competition among entry-level electric cars.

The five trims break down as follows, with trade-in prices in brackets.

The Vitality edition at $9,870 (9,420 with trade-in).

The Freedom edition at $10,920 (10,470 with trade-in).

The flash-charging editions start with the Comfort at $11,370 (10,920 with trade-in).

The Flying edition at $12,410 (11,960 with trade-in).

The Smart Fun edition at $14,960 (14,510 with trade-in).

On benefits, the Vitality and Freedom trims come with a 7 kW home charger installed free within two years of delivery, and every purchase made from now includes 12 months of free flash charging with no limit on electricity.

The exterior continues the Ocean Aesthetics design language with more relaxed lines than before, offered in six colors, lime green, berry pink, mango orange, ice coconut blue, cream white and sesame gray.

Size is the biggest change of this generation, since the second-generation Seagull measures 4,205 mm long, 1,810 mm wide and 1,570 mm tall on a 2,650 mm wheelbase, gaining 425 mm in length, 95 mm in width and 30 mm in height with a 150 mm longer wheelbase, jumping from a four-seater to a five-seater with 1,242 mm (about 48.9 inches) of rear hip room.

Space expands accordingly, with BYD claiming room for five people and five suitcases, since the trunk holds 380 liters (about 13.4 cubic feet) for two 24-inch and two 20-inch cases and grows to 1,380 liters (about 48.7 cubic feet) with the rear seats folded, with a depth of more than 1.5 meters (about 4.9 feet).

A new 94-liter (about 3.3 cubic feet) electric front trunk unlocks with two taps, and the cabin holds 31 storage spots including a 1.62-liter hidden tissue box, a 24-liter double hidden box and hidden hooks, so small items all have a place.

Intelligence is the other headline, since the car offers God's Eye B lidar driver assist with city and highway navigation available nationwide, plus dual safety backing for smart parking and city navigation that is free, unlimited, does not go through insurance and does not raise premiums.

The cabin upgrades to the high-end DiLink 150 with a 15.6-inch central screen, and the smart instrument panel wakes a three-way split display in drive while still showing key driving information when the screen is off.

Sentry mode supports 24-hour parking monitoring, while a 360-degree camera, automatic emergency braking, smart entry, keyless unlock, NFC key and remote parking are all included, and every trim gets a stability system that keeps the car controllable after a highway tire blowout at 140 km/h (about 87 mph).

The chassis is a class above too, since drive moves from front-wheel to rear-wheel and the rear suspension upgrades from a torsion beam to a multi-link independent setup, giving a turning radius of just 4.95 meters (about 16.2 feet). The motor makes 95 kW (about 127 hp) and 130 Nm (about 96 lb-ft), a clear step up from the old 55 kW, with a top speed of 150 km/h (about 93 mph).

On the powertrain, the second-generation Seagull uses a second-generation Blade Battery with CLTC range options of 320 km (about 199 miles) and 420 km (about 261 miles), with consumption as low as 9 kWh per 100 km (about 233 MPGe), roughly 0.1 yuan per kilometer or about 2.4 cents per mile.

Flash-charging versions support megawatt-level charging that fills the pack in five minutes and completes it in nine, with only three extra minutes even at minus 30 degrees Celsius, and BYD has already built 12,165 flash charging stations nationwide, with 20,000 due by the end of the year.

Taken together, the second-generation Seagull squeezes lidar, rear-drive multi-link suspension and flash charging, features once reserved for higher segments, into the 60,000 to 100,000 yuan bracket, aiming straight at rivals such as the Geely EX2, the Wuling Bingo and the Leapmotor A10, and its arrival is expected to reshape competition among entry-level electric cars.