BYD Sealion 6: The Chinese SUV driving PHEV sales in Australia

Plug-in hybrids remain niche products in Australia’s new car market, with September sales figures showing they made up less than 2.5 per cent of all new vehicles delivered last month.

However, this number could’ve been much lower if not for one of the newest – and most affordable – players in the game.

The BYD Sealion 6 only arrived in Australia in June, but it’s already on track to become the nation’s best-selling plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model for the year, and only narrowly missed out on a spot in the top 20 sales charts last month.

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In September alone, 1111 Sealion 6s were delivered to Australian customers, among 2470 overall PHEV sales. Including the prior three months on sale, BYD has delivered 3207 examples to local buyers.

Without the Sealion 6, Australia’s PHEV sales in September 2024 would’ve only been 58 units more than the same month a year prior, with the 90 per cent increase in the segment almost entirely down to the SUV.

Though the breakdown for PHEV sales of the Mitsubishi Outlander hasn’t yet been detailed, it’s likely the Sealion 6 is on track to pass – or already has passed – the Japanese plug-in SUV to claim the top spot in the segment for the year.

For context, between January and June, Mitsubishi delivered 2422 Outlander PHEVs, accounting for about 17 per cent of overall Outlander sales, and 29.5 per cent of the PHEV market.

Even the smaller Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross had only notched up 1409 deliveries in the first six months of the year, a total which the Sealion 6 surpassed within its first three months on sale.

With the Sealion 6 occupying the same mid-size SUV segment and offering similar drivetrain technology at a starting price which undercuts the Outlander by more than $8000, it’s tipped to take the mantle by year’s end.

It’s also an encouraging sign for EVDirect – BYD’s local importer and distributor – which is diversifying from its initial electric-only rollout to include PHEVs in its local lineup.

The Sealion 6 followed the launch of the all-electric Atto 3, Dolphin and Seal, though it current trails the latter by about 2100 deliveries, a gap which it’s closing at a rapid rate.

It won’t be the carmaker’s only PHEV in showrooms come 2025, with the BYD Shark 6 ute due here before year’s end.

Arriving as the first PHEV ute in Australia, it’ll have a few months’ head start over the Ford Ranger PHEV, which features a shorter electric driving range than its BYD rival.

MORE: Everything BYD Sealion 6 MORE: Why BYD distributor thinks its new PHEV is better than RAV4, Outlander