BYD’s cheapest EV spotted with an upgraded interior and a single large display screen
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- BYD is preparing an upgraded Seagull EV (sold as Dolphin Surf in Europe and Dolphin Mini elsewhere), starting at 69,900 yuan (~$10,000) in China and ranking as the 6th best-selling EV globally in H1 2026 per Cleantechnica data
- Zhang Zhuo, sales boss of BYD's Ocean series, previewed the new Seagull on social media roughly a month ago with blurry images captioned about the silhouette 'growing up'
- China's MIIT approved the upgraded Seagull last month, revealing a lengthened body at 4,205mm versus the current model's 3,780mm
- The new Seagull's interior swaps to a single large center infotainment screen with a redesigned console, retaining physical buttons below the screen and on the steering wheel
- The upgraded Seagull gains a 95 kW (127 hp) motor — a 73% jump over the current 55 kW (75 hp) — plus a roof-mounted LiDAR for new ADAS features
Why it matters: The upgrade pushes LiDAR-enabled ADAS and a near-doubled motor into a ~$10,000 EV, raising the spec floor in the entry-level segment where the Seagull already ranks among the world's top-selling electric cars.
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