The rush of the new BYD Models continues with that Gasket 6 sedan And Seal 6 Touring Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) are set to launch in Australia.
The mid-size PHEV sedans and station wagons, available to order from April 9, 2026, will be available in only two variants.
The Seal 6 sedan will only be available here in Essential trim and, priced at $34,990 before on-road costs, will not only be Australia’s cheapest PHEV sedan, but will undercut the Toyota Camry Hybrid by $5,000.
With Daily Sparkz you can save thousands on a new car. Click Here to get a great deal.
It narrowly misses out on being the cheapest PHEV of any kind Down Under, with another BYD – the mid-size SUV Sealion 5 Essential – undercutting it by just $1,000.
The Seal 6 Touring is only offered here in the more upscale Premium trim and costs $39,990 before on-road launch. This makes it Australia’s cheapest station wagon, undercutting the Skoda Octavia 110TSI Select at $43,990 per car.
The Essential sedan and the Premium station wagon differ not only in body style, but also in the battery.
While both use a 1.5-litre Atkinson four-cylinder petrol engine at the heart of their DM 5.0 Super Hybrid powertrain, the Essential has a 10.08kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and the Premium has a larger 19kWh pack.
The purely electric range in the WLTP cycle is 55 km in the sedan and 100 km in the station wagon. The combined range figures are 1400 km and 1300 km respectively.
Although BYD has not released full technical specifications, recently released Australian government certification documents list total system outputs of 130kW and 163kW respectively.
Standard features include an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster and 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a range of active safety and driver assistance technologies, including adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and child presence detection.
The Seal 6 sedan is 4840 mm long, 1875 mm wide and 1495 mm high with a wheelbase of 2790 mm. This makes it 80 mm shorter, but 35 mm wider and 50 mm higher than the Camry with a 35 mm shorter wheelbase.
The Seal 6 Touring has the same length, width and wheelbase as its trunk-equipped counterpart, but is 1505mm high and has 670 liters of cargo space, which expands to 1535 liters with the rear seats folded down.
BYD Australia’s first mid-size estate is 131mm longer than the Octavia estate, 46mm wider and 40mm taller, with a 109mm longer wheelbase.
The brand also touts “impressive rear seat legroom” and a “flat rear floor.”
BYD says the Seal 6 is a “compelling proposition for Australian families who want space, functionality and affordability in a vehicle other than an SUV”. It already has a wide range of models for the SUV part of the PHEV market, including two different mid-size SUVs, a large SUV and an SUV.
As a mid-size PHEV sedan and wagon, the Seal 6 will have virtually no direct competition in Australia – you’ll either have to step up to a smaller (but sportier) Cupra Leon Sportstourer or step up to the upcoming, larger Skoda Superb.
BYD already has a medium-sized car on offer in Australia, the fully electric Seal. However, this is only available as a sedan and not as a station wagon.
The Chinese automotive giant has an even larger selection of mid- to large-sized passenger cars in its home market, including the Seal 7, the Qin and the Han.
In Australia, the company aims to be “close to the top three (automotive brands)” in the sales race this year, after finishing eighth last year. In March, it ranked third, behind only Toyota and Kia.
MORE: Explore the BYD showroom
