BYD reveals the price of the Tesla Model Y competitor in France, but the calculations are not good

Here is an ambitious project which is to attract buyers away from the first electric vehicle sold in Europe, the Tesla Model Y. One might think that the first battlefield between the Chinese SUV and the American SUV (made in Germany) is played out on the price. But in reality, this is not the case.

How much does the BYD Sealion 7 cost?

BYD has just formalized the prices of the Sealion 7 SUV. For France, the access ticket is set at 46,990 euros. Here are the prices of all the configurations available in the catalog:

But at the same time, the Tesla Model Y is offered from 40,990 euros, benefiting in addition from the ecological bonus of 4,000 euros, or 36,990 euros to be paid for the customer. 10,000 euros difference between the two vehicles, the BYD Sealion 7 must have serious arguments to convince with such a price difference!

A little more autonomy for the BYD Sealion 7?

In its basic Comfort version, the BYD Sealion 7 has an 82.5 kWh BYD Blade battery, which allows it to announce a WLTP autonomy of 482 km. The Propulsion version of the Tesla Model Y reaches 455 km of autonomy in the WLTP cycle, but this is without taking into account the Long Autonomy Propulsion version of the Model Y, which offers 600 km WLTP for a price of €42,990 (before deduction ecological bonus).

Acceleration is also comparable: the Comfort version uses a 230 kW (312 horsepower) motor, allowing it to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds. The Tesla Model Y Propulsion completes the exercise in 6.9 seconds. On the other hand, the Tesla Model Y Propulsion charges more quickly: it accepts up to 170 kW, while the BYD Sealion 7 Comfort caps at 150 kW. Going from 10% to 80% takes 32 minutes on the Chinese SUV, compared to 20 to 25 minutes on the American SUV.

The BYD Sealion 7 therefore fails to make the Tesla Model Y obsolete, which will also soon be restyled. Although its performance is far from bad, the BYD Sealion 7 may have difficulty convincing with such a price difference, especially since the Tesla Model Y Propulsion Grande Autonomie outperforms the autonomy of the BYD Sealion 7 Comfort.

For the Excellence AWD version of the Sealion 7, equipped with two motors for a power of 390 kW (530 horsepower) and equipped with a 91.3 kWh BYD Blade battery, it is more comparable to the Long Range All-wheel Drive and Performance versions of the Sealion 7. Tesla Model Y. Here again, the Tesla outperforms the BYD. When the WLTP range of the BYD Sealion 7 reaches a maximum of 502 km, the Model Y previously mentioned is at 565 and 517 km respectively.

In terms of performance, BYD announces the Sealion 7 as a sporty SUV: it goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. An honorable figure, it's faster than a 333 horsepower Audi S3 currently in the catalog! But the Performance version of the Tesla Model Y, sold for 57,000 euros, outperforms the BYD Sealion 7 AWD: the American requires only 3.7 seconds to reach 100 km/h, a performance more comparable to a Porsche 911 GT3!

Finally, on charging too, the Tesla does better! When the BYD Sealion 7 Excellence AWD can handle 230 kW peak, the Tesla Model Y Long Autonomy Integral Transmission and Performance tolerate 250 kW.

An already difficult existence for the BYD Sealion 7?

For a price that is often higher, the BYD Sealion 7 does less well than a Tesla Model Y! Less autonomy, slower charging and lower acceleration performance.

We then wonder how BYD will succeed in motivating the purchase of a Sealion 7, especially since Tesla is now well established in France and its brand image is solid. For BYD, everything remains to be done in France. And the Chinese manufacturer is not really helped by its prices: already more expensive than the Model Y, the Sealion 7 cannot claim help from the ecological bonus.

In addition, rumors suggest that Tesla is preparing to launch a restyled version of the Model Y. If the Juniper version of the Tesla SUV follows the same lines as the Model 3 Highland, the model will be significantly modernized without increasing prices.