The 2025 BYD Seal electric sedan has just been launched in China, and this will be the Chinese EV maker's first model that comes fitted with LiDAR technology. The 2025 Seal gets a host of feature upgrades as part of a mid-life update for the model, and with the new LiDAR sensor that gets mounted on the roof, the sedan is expected to carry out improved Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) features that enhance the level of autonomous driving.

The 2024 generation of the BYD Seal arrived in India in March 2024 and its market performance since may drive the EV maker to send the latest generation over as well. Launched at a price of ₹41 lakh (ex-showroom), the Seal EV garnered over 500 bookings in 15 days. The electric sedan later clocked in 1000 bookings, a milestone it reached within three months of its launch in India. However, as of now a timeline for a launch in India has not been confirmed.

BYD Seal 2025: Key updates

The biggest update to the BYD Seal is the introduction of LiDAR technology that is set to enhance the sedan’s ADAS capabilities. LiDAR officially stands for Light Detection and Ranging Sensors, and the technology has been an important point of discourse within the EV industry. Elon Musk, CEO of BYD’s biggest rival Tesla, has notably been in favour of implementing cameras in place of radar or LiDAR for its cars with Autopilot and Full-Self Driving technologies. Such cars use external cameras positioned around the vehicle to generate a feed that is sent through a ‘vision’ processor.

While Tesla had been using ultrasonic sensors before, the EV maker transitioned to external cameras in 2022. Much remains to be said about the viability of Tesla’s Autopilot as its cars have reportedly been involved in multiple accidents where they have either struck clearly-visible obstacles or veered off-course. With the implementation of LiDAR, the 2025 BYD Seal is expected to receive improved ADAS functionality that sits more competitively against Tesla’s Model 3.

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The 2025 Seal reportedly sits on a 800V high-voltage platform called the e-Platform 3.0 Evo. The sedan shares this platform with the fully-electric Sealion 7 SUV, an updated version of the globally-sold Seal U. This platform reportedly features a 1,200V SiC (Silicon Carbide) control system and a 23,000 rpm motor that allows for a maximum speed of 240 kmph. With this setup, BYD claims that the 2025 Seal is able to sprint from zero to 100 kmph in 3.8 seconds. The EV maker has said that the sedan can charge from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in under 25 minutes.

The 2025 BYD is reportedly going to come with two distinct battery pack options that can be configured with three different electric motor options. There is a 61.44 kWh battery pack that offers a claimed CLTC range of 510 km on a single charge, while the same for the 80.64 kWh battery is 650 km on a single charge. As for the electric motors, the base variant of the 2025 Seal is offered with a 228 bhp motor at the rear while the higher trim gets a 308 bhp motor. The top spec of the sedan gets all-wheel drive with a set of motors that generate 523 bhp. The BYD Seal is reportedly slotted at a starting price of 1,75,800 yuan (approximately ₹20.57 lakh).

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