New BYD Seal 06 GT revealed as Cupra Born VZ electric hot hatch rival

The first images of the BYD Seal 06 GT have been released ahead of its full unveiling at the Chengdu Auto Show on 30 August. The hot hatch is designed to take on rivals like the Volkswagen ID.3 GTX, Cupra Born VZ and MG4 XPower.

We’ve already had a glance of the BYD Seal 06 GT back when the car was previewed at the Beijing Motor Show earlier this year, although it was badged as the Ocean-M Concept at the time. 

Upon first inspection, the Seal 06 GT has been watered down slightly compared to the Ocean-M Concept – losing its sharp side skirts, chunky front and rear splitters, and the massive rear spoiler. Saying that, it does adopt a sportier stance than the regular BYD Seal saloon. 

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We never got the chance to look inside the Ocean-M Concept in Beijing, but the images of the interior of the Seal 06 GT show it to be very similar inside to the Seal saloon. To differentiate between the Seal saloon and Seal 06 GT, BYD has redesigned the dashboard and air vents slightly. 

The rest of the cabin remains the same with a large central touchscreen taking centre stage on the dashboard that is used for the majority of the car's features – climate and radio controls for example. Buttons in the centre console operate key functions like the hazard warning lights and the windscreen demister.

Technical information for the Seal 06 GT is still a little sparse, but we expect it to share the e-Platform 3.0 architecture and cell-to-body battery technology of its Dolphin and Seal saloon stablemates. When it comes to powertrains, the Seal 06 GT will be offered with both single and dual-motor options with a combined power output of 416bhp and four-wheel drive for the most powerful Seal 06 GT. This was confirmed by technical details filed with the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) earlier in the year. For comparison, the Cupra Born VZ produces 321bhp, a 95bhp deficit on this new BYD in GT guise. A lesser-powered version of the Seal 06 GT is also expected to be available.

Range figures are yet to be confirmed but the recently facelifted Chinese market BYD Seal saloon features a smaller 80.6kWh battery pack than the outgoing model's 82.5kWh unit. As a result, overall Chinese test cycle range figures on the facelifted car are down from 435 miles to 404 miles on a single charge. We’ll have to wait and see which battery is used in the 06 GT whether Seal saloon’s current 354-mile range on the stricter European WLTP test cycles will be reduced.

The BYD Seal 06 GT will be unveiled in full at the Chengdu Auto Show on 30 August. It is expected to go on sale in China on the same day with an estimated domestic-market price of around £22,000.