Last week at the Shanghai auto show, Chinese car manufacturer BYD unveiled its latest car, the BYD Seagull. The small electric hatchback is around the same size as a Volkswagen up!, if not a slightly bit larger and it could be possible that BYD brings the BYD to the UK, considering it has already brought the Dolphin, Seal and Atto to Europe and the UK.
Not a ton of information is available about the Seagull, but it is an all electric small city hatchback with a sodium-ion battery, the first BYD EV to use such a battery. The technology is cheaper than lithium-ion, can handle colder temperatures better but the only tradeoff is the slow charging rate. That charging rate has not yet been shared by BYD.
The BYD Seagull will be available with 30kWh and 38kWh battery packs, but only the smaller of the two will use sodium-ion. The 30kWh will be good for 190 miles of range and the 38kWh with 252 miles. Two motors will also be available, with 74bhp and 100bhp.
Inside, there is a large touchscreen, at 12.8-inches which can swivel to face the driver, with just the press of a button. For the driver, there is a 5-inch display.
Pricing for the BYD Seagull in China when converted to pounds, works out at just £7,730. However, BYD have not yet confirmed if the Seagull will come to the UK and Europe.