BYD Unveils 'Great Seagull' EV Sketches — SkimNews
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- BYD released first official sketches of the second-generation Seagull EV — nicknamed the 'Great Seagull' — showing trident-shaped front and rear lights and a new minimalist interior with a two-spoke steering wheel
- The new Seagull stretches to 4,205 mm long versus the current model's 3,780 mm, and swaps in a 95 kW (127 hp) electric motor — nearly 70% more powerful than the current 55 kW unit — per China's MIIT regulatory filing
- The current Seagull starts at 69,900 yuan (~$10,000) in China, making it roughly half the price of the cheapest new car in the US (2026 Hyundai Venue at ~$20,500), and ranks as the sixth best-selling EV globally through H1 2026 with over 27,500 units sold
- Spy images surfaced this week showing a roof-mounted LiDAR on the new model, suggesting it will adopt BYD's 'God's Eye B' ADAS system alongside expected second-generation Blade Batteries and Flash Charging technology
- The Great Seagull is slated to go on sale in China by end of 2026 and is expected to launch overseas as the second-gen Dolphin Surf, where the current model starts at ~€22,900 ($26,500)
Why it matters: BYD is upgrading its cheapest EV with tech (LiDAR, 127 hp motor, Blade Battery 2.0) typically found on pricier models while keeping a sub-$10,000 entry price in China — a price-to-spec ratio that effectively has no direct competitor in the US, where the cheapest new car runs roughly $20,500.
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![BYD offers a closer look at the new Seagull EV [Images]](https://electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/09/BYD-new-Seagull-EV-update.jpeg?quality=82&strip=all&w=1400)
![BYD’s $10,000 EV has a big sibling on the way, and here’s our first look [Images]](https://electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/09/BYD-Great-Seagull-EV-first-look.jpeg?quality=82&strip=all&w=1400)
