2026 BYD Sealion 08: New flagship SUV revealed with up to 900km of EV range

BYD has officially revealed the Sealion 08, its big new range-topping, fully electric three-row SUV with an 'industry-leading' driving range claim.

Revealed at the Beijing motor show after images were leaked online, the Sealion 08 is the new flagship for BYD's 'Ocean' series of models – comprising the Dolphin, Seal, Seal 6, Sealion 6, Sealion 7, and Sealion 8 – and will be launched in China later this year.

Though previous Chinese government filings have confirmed both plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and electric vehicle (EV) versions of the SUV, a report from CarNewsChina indicates that only the fully electric iteration has been revealed so far.

That's no bad thing, though, because BYD claims the Sealion 08 EV can travel up to 900km on a single charge, based on more lenient CLTC testing, and can complete the 0-100km/h sprint in as little as 4.9 seconds – as indicated by the '4.9s' badge that appears on a display car's tailgate.

Enabling this is a dual-motor all-wheel drive EV powertrain producing up to 480kW of power, with some tech expected to be shared with BYD's Great Tang SUV, the flagship of its 'Dynasty' model series.

As such, CarNewsChina predicts the Sealion 08 will be powered by a 130.5kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack, a second-generation BYD 'Blade' battery that can reportedly be charged from 10 to 97 per cent in as little as nine minutes.

Though not confirmed, it's possible the PHEV version of the Sealion 08 could also share tech with the Great Tang PHEV, which is available in China with two plug-in hybrid powertrains incorporating 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engines, offering up to either 200kW (single-motor) or 400kW (dual-motor).

Other items on the list of shared equipment include BYD's DiSus-A dual-chamber air suspension system and four-wheel steering, while a prominent housing above the windscreen is expected to contain LiDAR hardware for BYD’s ‘God’s Eye’ advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

As expected, the Sealion 08 is among the largest BYD SUVs revealed thus far. It measures 5115mm long, 1999mm wide, and 1800mm tall on a 3030mm wheelbase, which makes it considerably larger than the Toyota LandCrusier 300 Series and only slightly smaller than the Mercedes-Benz GLS.

It's also larger than the similarly named yet still three-row Sealion 8 PHEV, which is the largest BYD-badged SUV currently on sale in New Zealand. It measures 5040mm long and rides on a 2950mm wheelbase.

BYD says the Sealion 08 packs six independent seats across three rows, and rides on 21-inch alloy wheels fitted with floating centre caps.

Furthermore, and most bizarrely, BYD claims it's fitted with "the longest tail-light motif in the industry", a so-called 'tide gradient' design measuring "almost two metres in length". This is part of the simplified design language seen on BYD's latest Ocean series models.

It's a similar story for the Seal 08, BYD's new flagship sedan, which was on display at the show alongside the Sealion 08. Measuring 5150mm long, 1999mm wide, and 1505mm tall on a 3030mm wheelbase, making it larger than the existing Seal sedan and larger even than a BMW 5 Series sedan.

Like the Sealion 08, the Seal 08 will be available with both EV and PHEV powertrains. The latter utilises a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine producing 115kW, a 200kW electric motor, and a 45.36kWh LFP battery providing more than 400km of EV-only CLTC range.

Pricing has yet to be confirmed for either model, though CarNewsChina expects the Sealion 08 to cost roughly 300,000 yuan (~NZ$74,500).

It's not yet known whether BYD plans to offer either Ocean series flagship model in New Zealand, let alone whether they'll be badged as BYDs or sold under the brand's recently launched luxury brand, Denza.