BYD preparing to take on Toyota Camry in Australia with cheaper Seal 06 or Qin L model

Whereas the standing of midsize sedans in Australia has gradually fallen over time, the evergreen Toyota Camry has remained the fully dominant player in the affordable four-door segment — but now China’s BYD is on the brink of enter.

BYD does bask in already purchased an entrant in the midsize sedan class with the battery electric Seal, but the Seal is for the time being too costly to clutch down the Camry.

Priced between $46,990 to $61,990 plus on-aspect toll road costs, the electric Seal is upright worth in its have real, but most Toyota Camry examples delivered in Australia are the $39,990 Ascent and $42,990 Ascent Sport — in other phrases, these supplied by rideshare and taxi fleets.

BYD sees ability in the midsize sedan segment

Talking with Chasing Automobiles, BYD Australia chief product officer Sajid Hasan acknowledged that while the scale of the midsize automobile segment has fallen, it remains standard in China and which potential that, BYD develops automobiles that might perhaps properly be factual.

Mr Hasan beforehand worked as a product planning and pricing supervisor for Toyota Motor Firm Australia between 2010 and the raze of 2023.

“Now we bask in about a products in that region that might perhaps properly be a factual competitor for [the Camry],” acknowledged Hasan.

“Now we bask in about a alternatives that lets starting up in that region. Now we bask in a PHEV, as properly as an EV. We’re evaluating which is the real one to fall in and seeing how that suits with our total product strategy.

“Perchance we can bask in one thing — in the with regards to future — to remark.”

With the BEV-powered Seal already decrease to the bone in nasty Dynamic 150kW interesting, BYD Australia has confirmed that it is some distance evaluating two more affordable midsize automobiles to fit into its native lineup under the Seal sedan — in justify to compete without prolong with Camry.

The stir will be a continuation of BYD Australia’s strategy of expanding its mannequin lineup into arena of interest classes and worth segments.

Including a sub-Seal mannequin to contest the Camry segment would replicate a identical decision by BYD to carry the Sealion 5 PHEV crossover to Australia to sit down correct beneath the Sealion 6 hybrid in justify to ward off more affordable competitors.

Yr-to-date, Toyota has delivered 8508 Camry examples in Australia, compared to 3214 for the BYD Seal, 843 for the discontinued Mazda 6 and 617 for the Skoda Octavia.

Seal 06 and Qin L items seemingly being regarded as for Australia

BYD’s mooted Camry rival for Australia is liable to be either the BYD Seal 06 or BYD Qin L. Whereas both items differ somewhat in dimension and look—with the Qin carrying extra frail styling—both are readily out there in PHEV or BEV versions.

The Seal 06 will rapidly enter the European market where this will be supplied as a rival to key European taxi snappy items esteem the Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Golf wagon.

It’s miles mercurial out there as a 1.5-litre petrol PHEV with 10kWh or 15kWh LFP batteries, and curiously, the Seal 06 hybrid can even be ordered as a sedan or a region wagon.

Excellent-hand drive production for the Seal 06 has already kicked off for Thailand, potentially making it simpler for BYD Australia to import the ‘Ocean Collection’ mannequin right here.

A sedan-most effective BEV version of the Seal 06 is furthermore readily out there as a more cost-effective and much less great replacement to the ‘fleshy fats’ BYD Seal already supplied in Australia. The electrical Seal 06 uses 46kWh or 56kWh battery packs and produces 110-160kW.

The state is of path the same for the BYD Qin L, with PHEV and BEV choices with the same vitality outputs and battery sizes because the carefully-connected Seal 06, but with utterly different styling cues — and no region wagon version.

No real-hand drive market is for the time being understood to import the Qin L, though Malaysian sources justify that the mannequin will be on its design to that real-hook nation.