BYD’s $10,000 Seagull EV revealed with a longer body and more upgrades
SkimNews Take
By boosting both dimensions and nearly doubling motor output on what remains a sub-$10,000 EV, BYD is shifting the price-performance frontier at the entry level — a dynamic that forces competitors to either match on cost or concede the segment.
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- BYD filed an updated Seagull EV with China's MIIT measuring 4,205 mm long, 425 mm longer than the current 3,780 mm model, alongside a teaser from Ocean sales GM Zhang Zhuo promising a 'grown up' version.
- The new Seagull swaps its 55 kW (75 hp) motor for a 95 kW (127 hp) unit while keeping BYD's Blade LFP battery architecture — current packs of 30.08 kWh and 38.88 kWh deliver CLTC ranges of 305 km and 405 km respectively.
- BYD already upgraded the 2026 Seagull in May with a roof-mounted LiDAR — a first in its class — plus a 12.8" floating infotainment screen running BYD's DiLink 150 smart cockpit.
- Higher Freedom and Flying trims of the Seagull offer BYD's God's Eye B (DiPilot 300) driver-assist system powered by an Nvidia Drive Orin chip, supporting highway and city NOA plus automated parking.
- Starting at 69,800 yuan (~$10,000) in China and sold as the Dolphin Surf (£18,675) in Europe and Dolphin Mini elsewhere, the Seagull ranked as the world's fifth-best-selling EV in the first five months of 2026 with 125,000+ units sold, per CleanTechnica.
Why it matters: The Seagull is already a global top-5 EV with 125,000+ units sold in early 2026 at a ~$10,000 starting price. Adding 425 mm of length and jumping motor output from 55 kW to 95 kW — while keeping that entry-level pricing intact — forces competitors in the budget EV segment to match both size and power at the same price floor.
