BYD Seagull makes ASEAN debut in Thailand - Do you want this Axia-sized BEV?

At the ongoing 2024 Bangkok Motor Show, Chinese battery electric vehicle (BEV) giant, BYD sparked plenty of intrigue for visitors when it previewed several models for the first time in the ASEAN region. One of those is the company’s smallest EV ever, the BYD Seagull.

Positioned below the BYD Dolphin, the Seagull is known as the BYD Dolphin Mini overseas. Currently, outside of China, BYD's entry BEV is only available in Latin America.

The unit shown is a left-hand drive Chinese unit and according to the information given to Thai media, it is powered by a 75 PS/135 Nm front-axle electric motor. It has a 38.8-kWh Blade battery with up to 400 km of driving range (NEDC).

Based on the dimensions, it is slightly larger than the Perodua Axia. Makes sense since the Dolphin itself is around the size of a B-segment hatchback like the Perodua Myvi and Honda City Hatchback while having nearly C-segment interior space.

Also read: Cheaper than Dolphin, here's a closer look at the BYD Seagull, from an equivalent of RM 47k

The Seagull shown in Bangkok is equipped with front-ventilated disc brakes and rear disc brakes and sits on 175/55 R15 Linglong rubbers. It has a 10.1-inch rotating touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support.

In China, the Seagull is priced between CNY 73,800 to CNY 89,900 (~RM 48.5k-59k) which is below the Dolphin that starts from CNY 99,800 (~RM 66k). In Malaysia, the Dolphin starts from RM 99,900 so theoretically, the Seagull could start from around RM 80k.

However, Malaysia does not allow the import of BEVs priced below RM 100,000. The sub-RM 100k price tags advertised for the BYD Dolphin and the Neta V do not include insurance. Add in insurance and the real price of those Chinese BEVs would be a smidge higher than RM 100k.

Also read: Malaysia doesn't allow import of battery EVs priced below RM 100k, how true is this?

Hence, the Seagull is in a bit of a pricing predicament if it were to be brought into Malaysia. The Dolphin’s sub-RM 100k price was already an enticing marketing strategy to bring in buyers so how will the Seagull slot in?