Watch out Mitsubishi, MG and Chery! BYD Sealion 5 extended midsize SUV and Sealion 8 large seven-seat SUV coming to shake up growing plug-in market

BYD hopes to tighten its grip on the Australian trudge-in hybrid market, confirming two unusual items that will predominantly target the Mitsubishi Outlander, MG HS, and Chery Tiggo 8.

Slated to inaugurate early in 2026, the 2 PHEVs are is named the Sealion 5 and Sealion 8.

The two items will sit on both facet of the hot $42,990 sooner than on-roads BYD Sealion 6, which has rapidly confirmed itself as a resound alternative to the prolonged-standing midsize PHEV phase chief, the Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed PHEV.

That vehicle begins at $57,290 for the execrable trudge-in ES, and in greater Exceed easy, offers seven seats to the tune of $69,290. Both costs are sooner than on-freeway costs.

It has prolonged been anticipated that BYD would provide a seven seat resolution to Mitsubishi, and the Sealion 8 appears to manufacture appropriate that, whereas moreover serving as BYD’s substantial flagship model.

Native specifications for the Sealion 8, moreover the probability of seven seats, and claims that the model is ‘tech centered’, are restful unconfirmed. In in yet any other nation markets, the Sealion 8 measures 5040mm prolonged, 1996mm broad, and 1970mm broad, with a 2950mm wheelbase.

For comparison, the soon to inaugurate 2026 Hyundai Palisade measures 5065mm in size.

But one model to bury the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV wasn’t ample. BYD will extra its PHEV offensive by concurrently quenching the flames of much less dear trudge-in rivals from China — enter the much less dear, nevertheless restful household sized Sealion 5.

Pricing for the Sealion 5 is yet to be confirmed, nevertheless BYD says it’s “perfectly primed for purchasers looking for price with out compromising on the aspects BYD has become indispensable for.”

We deliver the Sealion 5 to be competitive with the $Forty eight,990 MG HS ‘Spacious Hybrid’, $42,990 Chery Tiggo 8 CHS, and the $forty five,990 Jaecoo J7 SHS. Costs are sooner than on-roads.

The Sealion 5 is a greater than midsize prolonged wheelbase 5 seater which in World markets measures 4710mm prolonged, 1880mm broad, and 1720mm broad, with a 2712mm wheelbase – all of sudden within 50mm in all dimensions to the hot Sealion 6.

By comparison, the midsize SUV phase leading Toyota RAV4 is 4600mm prolonged.

Technical specifications are largely unknown for both Sealion items, nevertheless BYD did verify that items will feature a DM-i hybrid machine such as the Sealion 6 and Shark 6 ute.

Both unusual systems blend a 1.5-litre four cylinder petrol engine, supplied with or with out a turbocharger, with a BYD Blade battery (between 18 and 30kWh), and one or two electric motors, searching on the model grade.

BYD claims that the inaugurate of its unusual Sealion items, to boot to newly confirmed Atto items, will encourage Australians create the conversion to corpulent electric strength.

Read Chasing Vehicles irregular global first drive coverage of the BYD Sealion 5 here.