Today’s news cycle has been dominated by BYD with the launch of Dynamic Seal And 2024 Atto 3as well as confirmation of High-end Denza brand is coming to Malaysia. But that’s not all – the company also announced at a press conference today that it will bring its Super Dual Mode (DM) plug-in hybrid vehicle to the country.
According to BYD Malaysia CEO Eagle Zhang, the company is looking to introduce the performance-focused DM-i and high-performance DM-p powertrains. Zhang’s wording makes one think they’ll be introduced in the Denza, but that’s unlikely in the short term, as the only Denza model to be converted to right-hand drive so far is the D9 electric MPV.
Instead, BYD will likely start selling PHEVs in Malaysia under its own brand first, with Sea Lion 6 is almost certainly the first candidate. The car, a renamed U-SealIt is now on sale in Thailand at a price of 939,900 baht (RM121,500) for the sole Dynamic variant.
That gets you a single electric motor up front that makes 197 PS and 300 Nm of torque, paired with a 98 PS/122 Nm naturally aspirated 1.5-litre Xiaoyun Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine. Total system output is rated at 218 PS and 300 Nm, helping the Sealion 6 accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds.
Powering the electric motor is an 18.3 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) Blade battery that provides an impressive 56 miles of all-electric range – bringing the total petrol-electric range to 692 miles. It also supports DC fast charging, although only up to 18 kW, which takes 35 minutes to charge the battery from 30 to 80%. AC charging is also available at up to 6.6 kW.
Alternatively, BYD could put the DM-i version of the Denza D9 into production, bumping the electric motor output to 231 PS and 340 Nm and the petrol engine (via turbocharging) to 139 PS and 231 Nm. A slightly larger 20 kWh battery provides a CLTC-rated electric range of 103 km.
Meanwhile, the more powerful DM-p all-wheel drive system can be found in the BYD Han and Tang, as well as the Denza N8. It offers around 490 PS and the CLTC’s electric range is around 200 km. Not to mention the off-road-oriented DMO, though. Pack 5 – from the powerful Fangchengbao brand, also known as the Leopard 5 – was previewed at the Malaysia Motor Show in May. However, the 4×4 is being considered for our market, so don’t rule it out just yet.
One potential hurdle locally is the lack of incentives for plug-in hybrids compared to fully electric vehicles, which pushes up the price of these vehicles – unless BYD goes the CKD route of local assembly. This is where the Denza PHEV would make more sense, as its more premium positioning would make the premium price more palatable in our cost-sensitive market.
PHOTO GALLERY: BYD Sealion 6 DM-i
COLLECTION: BYD Bao 5 at Malaysia Autoshow 2024
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