New BYD Sealion 7 EV confirmed for SA

April 2, 2025

The new BYD Sealion 7 fully electric crossover has been confirmed for South Africa, offering local buyers a coupé-like roofline and a claimed range of nearly 500 km.

We already knew the Shark 6 and Sealion 6 plug-in hybrids were scheduled to launch in South Africa in the opening quarter of 2025, but now the new fully electric BYD Sealion 7 crossover has also been confirmed for the local market.

As first spotted by the folks over at The Citizen Motoring, BYD Auto South Africa has quietly added the Shark 6, Sealion 6 and Sealion 7 to its local website, listing all 3 models as “launching soon”.

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The Sealion 7 is the Chinese new-energy vehicle brand’s mid-size crossover pitched against the likes of the Tesla Model Y overseas. This battery-powered 5-seater measures 4 830 mm from nose to tail (and has a wheelbase of 2 930 mm), which – for local context – makes it around 20 mm longer than a current-generation Kia Sorento.

Though local specifications and pricing have yet to be announced, it’s perhaps worth noting the Sealion 7 is available in 2 flavours (each using an 82.56 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack) in fellow right-hand-drive market Australia.

Down Under, the rear-wheel-drive “Premium” derivative generates peak outputs of 230 kW and 380 Nm, with a claimed 0-100 kph time of 6.7 seconds and a WLTP range of 482 km. The all-wheel-drive “Performance” variant (with a motor on each axle), meanwhile, churns out 390 kW and 690 Nm, sprinting from standstill to 3 figures in a claimed 4.5 seconds and featuring a WLTP range of 456 km.

Inside the Australia-spec models, you’ll find a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and BYD’s 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen, along with features such as 128-colour ambient lighting, a 50 W wireless smartphone charger, a head-up display and a panoramic glass roof. Luggage capacity is listed as 500 litres, with a front compartment adding a further 58 litres of storage space.

Currently, BYD markets only the Dolphin, Atto 3 and Seal fully electric vehicles in South Africa. The imminent arrival of the Shark 6 bakkie, Sealion 6 and indeed the Sealion 7, however, will see the Chinese firm effectively double the size of its local range.