The 59-member jury of the 2024 European Car of the Year has announced the seven finalist models vying for this year's award. The finalists are:

• BMW 5-series
• BYD Seal
• Kia EV9
• Peugeot E-3008/3008
• Renault Scenic
• Toyota C-HR
• Volvo EX30

The winner will be announced on February 26, 2024, at the Geneva Motor Show. This marks the first time a Chinese marque has reached the finals of the European Car of the Year award. The seven finalist models were selected from 28 models shortlisted in November.

Among those that did not make the final cut were the BYD Atto 3, BYD Han, Nio ET7, Smart #1, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Lucid Air, Lexus RZ, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Honda CR-V, and BMW XM.

The BYD Seal, the next model to be launched by Sime Darby Beyond Auto, is a Tesla Model 3-rivaling sedan currently on sale in Thailand. Prices range from THB 1,325,000 to THB 1,599,000, with three variants available:

• 61.44 kWh Dynamic rear-wheel drive (510 km range)
• 82.56 kWh Premium rear-wheel drive (650 km range)
• 82.56 kWh Performance all-wheel drive (580 km range)

Note that the claimed driving range is tested under the less stringent NEDC driving cycle, and the actual driving range may be significantly lower.

For comparison, the Tesla Model 3 in Thailand is priced at THB 1,599,000 for the single motor rear-wheel drive variant, and THB 1,899,000 for the two-motor all-wheel drive variant.

Although the BYD Seal is priced lower than the Tesla Model 3 in Thailand, it remains to be seen if this pricing strategy will be replicated in Malaysia. The BYD Atto 3 already tops out at RM 168,430, while the Tesla Model 3 starts at RM 189,000 in Malaysia. This leaves a narrow price gap for potentially more than one variant of the BYD Seal.