E-car double for Germany: China models give hope
While Tesla is the market leader for e-cars, the competition is not short of alternatives. Two particularly interesting models from China are scheduled to come to Europe later this year. The Chinese are thus taking on the heavyweights Tesla and Volkswagen directly – and even have good chances.
Challenge to Tesla and VW: BYD boasts two electric cars
BYD has new electric cars in their luggage – and they are impressive. The Dolphin and Seal models are to be launched in Europe in 2023. The Chinese manufacturer has now made the period more specific: the compact car Dolphin – clearly based on the ID.3 from VW – is scheduled to come onto the market in June. The electric mid-size sedan Seal will follow from September.
The two e-cars want to impress with competitive ranges:
- BYD dolphins: Up to 427 km range according to the WLTP standard
- BYD Seal: Up to 520 km or up to 570 km range according to the WLTP standard
BYD also offers a version with all-wheel drive of the Seal. Because of the higher performance, however, there is less range. In the Dolphin, the electricity is stored in a 60 kWh battery. The Seal, on the other hand, comes along an impressive capacity of 82 kWh (Source: BYD).
The electric sedan thus creates ranges that come close to the Tesla Model S. The Seal is actually a Competitor for the Model 3 in the middle class. Accordingly, a significantly lower price is expected.
In addition, BYD already installs the high-voltage battery in the Seal as part of the body. This should improve driving characteristics, including the lower body. The Security is considered better for integrated batteries, which other manufacturers are also working on. However, the design has also been criticized because, if the worst comes to the worst, repairing or replacing the battery could be more difficult.
In addition to the two newcomers, BYD already has three other e-cars in Germany: Atto 3, Tang and Han.
Powerful e-cars from China are not only made by BYD:
The big unknown: BYD is not revealing any prices yet
BYD leaves the big question unanswered in the announcement: The Chinese manufacturer is not yet revealing prices for either the Seal or the Dolphin. However, since the role models Tesla Model 3 and VW ID.3 are already established in this country, the offer should be decisive. Either you have to set them apart from the top dogs either technically or in terms of price.
We remain curious what the largest electric car manufacturer in terms of numbers will charge for the two models.
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