A few days ago, the launch of the BYD Seal caused a stir in India's high-end EV market. The electric sedan debuted in our country as the third car in the company's India lineup. Market rivals for the new model include the BMW i4, the Volvo XC40 Recharge, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, and the Kia EV6. With its several unique selling points, this feature-rich offering is a strong choice for Indian buyers. The Seal's cost is what draws attention to it the most. The Hyundai Ioniq 5, the base model's main competitor, is significantly undercut by it, saving prospective customers a considerable amount. The highest-spec performance variant of the BYD model is also priced competitively, undercutting the Volvo XC40 Recharge (AWD) by over Rs 5 lakh. Concurrently, the entry-level Kia EV6 model costs Rs 8 lakh more than the top-of-the-line Seal. In this article, we bring you a detailed comparison between the Seal sedan and one of its primary rivals from the South Korean carmaker Kia, the EV6. Let's take a quick look.
BYD Seal vs Kia EV6 Spec Comparison: Variants, Dimensions, and Colour Options
The Seal sedan built for India is available in four exterior colour shades—Arctic Blue, Atlantis Grey, Aurora White, and Cosmos Black—as well as three trim levels: Dynamic, Premium, and Performance. Its dimensions stand at 1,875mm in width, 1,460mm in height, and 4,800mm in length. The drag coefficient is less than 0.21 cd.
In terms of variants, the EV6 comes in two options - Standard GT Line and GT Line AWD (all-wheel drive). Runway Red, Moonscape, Yacht Blue, Snow White Pearl, and Aurora Black Pearl are the five colour options on offer for the Kia e-SUV. It has a wheelbase of 2,900mm with dimensions of 4,695mm in length, 1,890mm in width, and 1,570mm in height.
BYD Seal vs Kia EV6 Spec Comparison: Design
On the design front, the brand-new Seal was developed with inspiration from the Ocean X concept, which was unveiled in 2021, and it adheres to the 'Ocean Aesthetics' design philosophy. It has a full-width LED light bar at the back, split headlamps with boomerang-shaped LED daytime running lights, flush door handles, and a coupe-like roofline.
As far as the EV6 is concerned, it sports a youthful and futuristic look. The car has a sunroof, a short snout, smooth curves, strong character lines, and clean styling cues. Similar to the seal, the Kia model also has a full-width LED light bar mounted at the rear end.
BYD Seal vs Kia EV6 Spec Comparison: Battery Pack and Range Details
Mechanically, the Seal is equipped with two battery packs (61.4kWh and 82.5kWh) and runs on BYD's e-Platform 3.0. A smaller 61.44kWh battery powers the rear wheels of the Seal's base Dynamic model. With 510-kilometre range, it generates 201bhp and 310Nm of torque. The Seal Premium's rear wheels are driven by a larger 82.56kWh battery, which also generates 308bhp and 360Nm of torque. The Premium variant has the longest range in the lineup at 650-kilometre. On the other hand, the all-wheel drive top-spec Performance model comprises two electric motors (front and rear). It does, however, have the same bigger battery pack as the mid-spec model. With a claimed range of 580-kilometre, it churns out 523bhp and 670Nm.
Meanwhile, the GT-Line version of the 2023 Kia EV6 is offered in India with both RWD (rear-wheel drive) and AWD (all-wheel drive) choices. With a single motor producing around 226bhp of maximum power and 350Nm of peak torque, the RWD EV6 can go 510-kilometre (WLTP). On the other hand, the more potent e-AWD variant can accelerate from a standstill to 100km/h in just 5.2 seconds thanks to its dual motor configuration, which generates 320bhp of peak power and 605Nm of maximum torque. Regarding its battery, the most recent Kia EV6 has a 77.4kWh battery that provides an ARAI-certified driving range of up to 708-kilometre.
BYD Seal vs Kia EV6 Spec Comparison: Interior and Features
Being a premium electric car, the Seal boasts an opulent and contemporary interior layout. A rotating 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment panel and a 10.25-inch digital driver panel are the two main highlights of the cabin. The vehicle incorporates a panoramic sunroof, leather upholstery, two wireless charging pads, a head-up display, a 360-degree camera, and motorised and climate-controlled front seats, among other amenities. It is important to remember that the feature list of the model can vary depending on the trim level opted for. Notably, the car received a perfect 5-star safety rating in the previous year's Euro NCAP crash testing. The safety suite constitutes ISOFIX child seat mounts, dual front airbags, belt pre-tensioners, belt load limiters, side airbags, a centre airbag, seatbelt reminders, lane assist systems, autonomous emergency braking, and fatigue/distraction monitoring.
The EV6's spacious cabin features dual 12.3-inch curved displays with a touchscreen and a digital instrument cluster, wireless charging, ventilated seats, 64-colour ambient lighting, and ADAS features such as lane keeping assist, lane follow assist, multi-collision braking, and more. It comes equipped with 8 airbags, all-wheel disc brakes, ABS with ESC, hill-start assist, and other safety features. The AWD version includes a 14-speaker Meridian sound system, e-AWD, and an augmented reality head-up display.
BYD Seal vs Kia EV6 Spec Comparison: Price
BYD rolled out the EV for purchase at a starting price of Rs 41 lakh. When it comes to variant-wise pricing details, the entry-level Dynamic, mid-level Premium, and higher-spec Performance versions cost Rs 41 lakh, Rs 45.55 lakh, and Rs 53 lakh, respectively.
In contrast, Kia India launched the all-electric EV6 in June 2022 at a starting cost of Rs 59.95 lakh. However, in January 2023, the firm hiked the price of the model for the first time. As a result, the car became dearer by Rs 1 lakh and now has a price range starting at Rs 60.95 lakh and going up to Rs 65.95 lakh. All mentioned prices are ex-showroom figures.
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