It is one of the stars of the new school year and of the IAA Mobility show in Munich (from September 5 to 10). A Chinese car that comes from a manufacturer that is now mature with its 1.857 million cars sold last year, or 212%. And 600,000 more than its example to follow, Tesla. Not bad for a newcomer. If the tapered lines of the bodywork (Cd of 0.219) were dubbed by Wolfgang Egger, the German designer who worked for Alfa Romeo, Seat and who designed a whole generation of Audis and Lamborghinis, they are more reminiscent of those of the American . But we could also talk about the Hyundai Ioniq 6 which is one of his favorite targets. Whether it will be able to impose itself against these electric stars of the market remains to be demonstrated, but BYD seems to be going about it methodically and strategically, in particular by deploying its fledgling web of concessions on the rubble of the Stellantis network, which eliminated many of its showrooms. MG has already been there and is aiming for 200 points of sale, with the success that we know. A godsend for Chinese newcomers and a rather incomprehensible door opened by Carlos Tavares. BYD arrives rather under a favorable light to make its market, taking into account its industrial credibility.

You should know that BYD manufactures practically everything in its cars, with the exception of tires, windows and windscreen wipers. This means that electronics, computers, microprocessors and, incidentally, mechanics and bodywork come out of both its design offices and its production lines. When one in five smartphones in the world is equipped with BYD cells, we can understand that the expertise developed since the 1990s in this field has served to go the opposite way of the Europeans.

Instead, like them, of starting from a thermal car and converting it to electric, BYD has simply designed a giant smartphone by putting four wheels and a body on it. It’s obviously a bit more complicated and serious than that but, beyond the image, it demonstrates BYD’s total know-how about what the core business of the electric car is. By dispensing with the noble part over which they have no control – the mechanics – the Chinese simply had to rush into the breach opened up by the European states, manipulated by the green lobby which, wrongly, the automobile is its pet peeve.

Everything therefore starts with an XXL battery and BYD obviously did not settle for a traditional system. Instead, it installs its new 82 kWh lithium-ion-phosphate (therefore cobalt-free) blade battery, the upper part of which forms the floor of the car. This means that instead of being brought into the cell, the battery contributes to the structural rigidity of the chassis. BYD claims resistance to frontal impact increased by 20% and to side impact by 30%. In addition, its components aligned in the form of tight blades and not of packs leaving unused spaces allow to have in a minimum of space a maximum of power. Resistant to shocks, it is also resistant to perforation, which means that where a traditional battery smokes and then ignites after an impact, the BYD cell remains inert.

Finally, and this is not the least of its qualities, this structural battery would have allowed, according to BYD, to lower the level of the floor of the cabin by 110 mm compared to a conventional reported battery. We can therefore understand that this “e-platform” is of interest to European manufacturers who would gladly use it by dressing it up in their own way. An admission of powerlessness but also of realism, because BYD, manufacturer itself, is not subject to supply delays and can manage its production chain as precisely as possible.

We will apparently soon be able to see this, because two versions will be offered with, initially, this end of the year, the twin-engine 4-wheel drive and in the second quarter of 2024, the propulsion-only version. The powers are respectively 230 or 390 kW or 313 and 530 horsepower. Both use the same 82.5 kWh battery capacity, which gives a range of 570 or 520 km depending on the model. If we put aside the obviously top-of-the-range equipment on the all-wheel drive, the essential difference on the entry level is on the single-engine propulsion and the absence of the active suspension.

The Seal takes advantage of its flat battery to offer a perfectly adequate 400-litre trunk, but with a narrow entrance. At the bottom, a hatch hides a cavity of around fifty liters to store the charging cables. Same thing under the front hood where an extra trunk can hold a sports bag. This configuration also releases a rather generous space in the passenger compartment and for the rear seats.

The sloping coupé-like line of the fully glazed roof somewhat limits the clearance above the head and there will be little support under the thighs, the bench seat being configured for two people plus an emergency seat. But we pinch ourselves by observing the environment which would not spoil on a Western car. The foamed plastics, the vegan leathers, the double quilted diamond seats, the crystal-style selector, the laminated windows at the front and dark-tinted at the rear offer much higher performance than on a Tesla 3, which has aged on this plan.

The 15.6-inch central screen is both generous but also swiveling, depending on whether you want to read in portrait or landscape mode. In the latter case, the designers thought of not masking the central air vents. This can also be done from the steering wheel which brings together the rather authoritative driving aids on the left side and the infotainment functions on the right side. A smaller screen behind the steering wheel displays driving data with a rather simplistic heads-up display on the windshield.

The wet Bavarian roads at the end of summer did not really help us to identify the limits of the Seal’s chassis but, on the contrary, the delicate grip highlighted the presence of European tires capable of passing both the torque and power of 4-wheel drive, the only version available to us. Except for the pedestrian alert sound, which is quite boring but which then fades with the setting into gear, the Seal immediately satisfies what is expected of a sporty sedan.

Its acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 3.9 seconds is worthy of a very sharp sports car, but not the top speed, quickly reached in Germany and which forces you to leave the left lane. The steering is a choice of comfort or sport, the latter having appeared to us to be heavy and a little too sensitive when heading on the highway. The comfort setting is preferable in our eyes but does not improve the quality of the information which comes back slightly from the front wheels.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that the power is there with electric car-style starts, formidable energy and the ability to repeat the exercise without overheating. Another asset to be credited to this battery, which is still sensitive to the outside temperature.

Thus, the internal heat pump device recovers the necessary degrees in the passenger compartment to maintain the ideal temperature for the cells. There are no small savings. If the torque transfer is sensitive on wet surfaces, it is carried out perfectly on the rear axle with an ESP which, instead of braking one wheel, accelerates the one on the opposite side for more liveliness a bit like a limited slip .

On the other hand, the configurable driving aids are calibrated for novice drivers with zealous interventions. It will be advantageous to cut them but it is an operation to be repeated at each restart. The chassis in efficient sport mode is still forgiving for sensitive backs who will find the extra adjustments needed with the power seats and lumbar support for the driver.

Each foot off the accelerator triggers a fairly modest two-stage recuperation selectable from the menu but not continuously adjustable like on other models with steering wheel paddles. The decelerations therefore lack fluidity and progressiveness, the harmonization of the systems still requiring development. It is also an effect induced by the significant weight of the Seal, 350 kg heavier than a Tesla 3 which is, it is true, 10 cm shorter.

In rather conservative test conditions in view of the weather, our consumption of 21.5 kW appears within the norm. Knowing that the car can be recharged in 11 kW on a home terminal and up to 150 kW, which is less than Tesla (200 kW), on a suitable public terminal, BYD promises to go from 30 to 80% in 23 minutes, from 10 to 80% in 37 minutes. We would have liked a universally adopted measure of 20 to 80%, but the Chinese do not see it that way. BYD still has to make a name for itself (pronounced “Bi-ouaille-di” not French, “un disaster”) and it won’t be the easiest. The prices will be known on September 4, but they should be close to 47,000 euros to benefit (still) from the bonus for the propulsion and 50,000 euros for the 4-wheel drive.

MOST :

– Build quality

– Roominess and comfort

– Electrical performance

– Design occidental

THE LESSERS

– Excess weight

– Steering and braking feel

– “Zeal” driving aids

– After-sales to be demonstrated