Penned-in for Australia from the first quarter of 2026, the plug-in hybrid Sealion 8 could well become BYD’s range-topper in South Africa should approval be given.
Its profile in South Africa gradually starting to grow, BYD has released details of the export market Tang L that will be sold as the Sealion 8.
Changing dynasties
Sharing its name with the standard Tang that went on-sale in its current second generation guise in China five-years ago, the Tang L is, however, of a completely different design as it rides on BYD’s Super e-Platform offering both electric and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
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Although part of BYD’s Dynasty range of products at home, the Tang L will adopt the nameplate used by its Ocean series of products for markets outside China, which currently also comprises Seagull/Dolphin Mini, Dolphin, Seal and Shark.
The fundamentals
Shown as the Tang L in January, and set to be offered with five, six or seven seats as per the “L” suffix, the Sealion 8 measures 5 040 mm long, 1 996 mm wide and 1 760 mm tall, with its wheelbase stretching 2 950 mm.
Practicality-wise, the Sealion 8 has a boot capacity of 675-litres, which increases to 960-litres with the third row folded down. Dropping the middle row sees space increase further to 1 960-litres.
Plug-in hybrid for export only
On the power front, the Sealion 8 will only offer plug-in hybrid powertrains in contrast to the Tang L, which also comes with a fully electric powerplant.
Marketed as DM-i in China, the initial setup combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with BYD’s 29.5-kWh Blade battery pack.
Powering a single motor mounted on the front axle rather than the rear, the setup produces a combined 200kW/315Nm, which BYD claims will result in 0-100 km/h taking 8.6 seconds.
The claimed all-electric range, based on China’s CLTC regulations, is a supposed 175 km.
Wearing the DM-p badging – the ‘p’ denoting performance – the range-topping Sealion 8 retains the same 1.5-litre turbo engine, but in combination with a second electric motor on the rear axle plus a larger 35.6-kWh Blade battery pack.
The result is a combined output of 400kW/670Nm, 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and a claimed CLTC electric-only range of 215 km.
Spec sheet
In terms of spec, the Sealion 8 will come standard a panoramic glass roof, a rotating 15.6-inch infotainment system, wireless smartphone chargers, an augmented reality Head-Up Display, fragrance dispenser, BYD’s latest LiDAR system, including autonomous driving, and a 21-speaker sound system.
Watch this space
Penned-in for Australia, but, according to carexpert.com.au, only from the first quarter of 2026, an announcement regarding the Sealion 8 for South Africa remains to be made.
However, given the availability of the plug-in hybrid Sealion 6 and the all-electric Sealion 7, don’t be surprised if approval for the local market is granted not long after its arrival Down Under.
Additional information from drive.com.au and carnewschina.com.
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