BYD Sealion 6 DM-i

[steveting99]

BYD's first hybrid model arriving on the shores of Singapore in 2025 is the re-badge Song Plus DM-i from mainland China. This PHEV compact crossover went on sale in the Chinese market in March 2021 and the the Song Plus is the best-selling BYD SUV in China. Global cumulative production of the model (excluding the ICE-powered variant) surpassed 1 million units by July 2024.

The Song Plus was facelifted and an update was launched in June 2023 for the Chinese market, which includes the BEV and PHEV versions. Singapore just gets the PHEV version from mid-2023, so it's looking a bit outdated - particularly the interior.

The 2023 Sealion 6 DM-i features a restyled front end and rear end design with headlamp units similar to the BYD Seal and Sealion 7. BYD also replaced the Song (宋) emblem with the standard BYD logo, aligning it with the vehicles from the Ocean series. 

The Sealion 6 DM-i's high voltage battery pack is sized at 18.3kWhr and supplied by BYD themselves via it's Blade battery format. When driving in pure EV mode, it can do about 80kms (WLTP) when the high voltage battery's State of Charge (SoC) is at 100% and down to 25%, before the petrol engine kicks in to re-charge the high voltage battery. The hybrid system provides four major control modes (EV, HEV series, HEV parallel, and engine direct drive).

The Sealion 6 DM-i PHEV, features a 1.5L, 4-cylinder petrol engine producing 72 kW of power and 122Nm of torque. It's mated to an electric motor that produces 145 kW power and 300Nm of torque. The combined maximum power is 217kW, driving the front wheels. That's good enough to do the century sprint in 8.5 seconds. Unfortunately it also means the Sealion 6 DM-i goes into the expensive Cat B territory for CoE. 

With a 60L fuel tank, BYD's claimed range is around 1,100 kms. No more excuse on range anxiety for the durian run to Genting Highlands or fighting over a plug locally when the high voltage battery pack reaches a low value. Probably the best part for the petrol heads is avoiding the $700 annual sur-charge levied on the road tax as it burning dead dino juice. Fuel efficiency works out to be 5.45L per 100kms - assuming the high voltage battery is 100% and fuel tank is full. The numbers are okay for a hybrid, but not that great either due to the dead weight being carried around. Best to operate in EV mode as much as possible and top up charge the high voltage battery pack to minimize fuel use. 

Some selected specs of the Sealion 6 DM-i.

Length: 4,775mm

Width: 1,890mm

Height: 1,670mm

Wheelbase: 2,765mm

Minimum turning radius: 5.5m

Rear trunk capacity: 574L (expands to 1,700L with the rear seats folded down)

Unladen kerb weight: 1,940kg

Gross weight: 2,350kg

Maximum carrying capacity: 410kg (seems a bit low)

Battery capacity and type: 18.3kWhr (LFP BYD's proprietary Blade battery)

Pure electric range: 80kms (WLTP from 100% down to 25%)

AC charging capacity: 7kW (Type 2) will take around 8 hours to fully charge

DC charging capacity: 18kW (CCS 2) will take 1.3 hours to fully charge

VES band: A2

Electric drive train efficiency: 18.8 kWhr per 100km (not that great either)

Electric motor: 145kW @ 300Nm of torque

Petrol engine size: 1,498 cc

Petrol engine power output: 72kW (98hp) @ 122Nm of torque

Combined maximum power: 162.63kW (218hp) @ 300Nm of torque

Fuel tank capacity: 60L

Petrol drive train efficiency: 0.9L per 100km (claimed but not realistic) and more likely 5.45L per 100km assuming high voltage battery is 100% charged and fuel tank is full. 

Range (electric + petrol): 1,100km (claimed) in reality it'll be lower than this due to the dead weight of the vehicle - almost two tons! 

Top speed: 170 km/hr.

In 2023, BYD unveiled the BYD Seal U, the export version of the Song Plus to the world. It debuted in Europe in September 2023 as part of the Seal family. In May 2024, the vehicle was introduced in Australia and other markets as the BYD Sealion 6. Singaporeans are late to the party only got Sealion 6 in July 2025 - almost two years late. Will see how sales go here as it competes in the increasingly crowded hybrid/PHEV market.

Competitors to the Sealion 6 DM-i are:

(1) Chery Jaecoo J7 PHEV;

(2) Toyota Harrier hybrid;

(3) Nissan X-Trail ePower; 

(4) Kia Sorento hybrid;

(5) Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid; and

(6) Mazda CX-60 PHEV.

There are some conti PHEVs from the likes of Mecedes, BMW, Volvo, etc. but the conti price and maintenance are factors to take into consideration. Will do a follow up post on the interior of the Sealion 6 DM-i.

 

 

 

[steveting99]

This is a follow on post to discuss the interior of the Sealion 6 DM-i. The Sealion 6 DM-i's interior draws heavily from the BYD's Atto 3 and feels somewhat outdated. Plenty of fake leather (i.e. plastics) abounds in the seats and steering wheel to make the Sealion 6 DM-i feel a bit more premium compared to Japanese and Korean rivals - almost catching up with the conti brands for the price that's hard to beat. Only at the lower part of the doors do one feel some hard plastics.

However, compared to the Sealion 7 (which has real leather), the Sealion 6 DM-i feels a bit of a down grade. In Singapore the color scheme is combination of pooh brown and black. Unfortunately the lighter cream/blue color combination isn't available as shown in the pics here. Driver's seat gets a 8-way adjustments while passenger seat only gets 4-way (half) with no memory functionality. So you'll have to keep on re-adjusting the seats if there are multiple drivers using the ride. Both the driver and passenger seats get ventilation (+1 to suite Singapore's hot climate) and heating (deserves $10k discount for this useless feature). 

BYD's famous 15.6" rotating touchscreen takes center stage in the middle of the vehicle. Smartphone mirroring with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto is available in wireless mode, but the screen has to be horizontal for that to work. The driver gets a 12.3" LCD instrument display. Unfortunately the Singapore version has no Heads Up Display (HUD) and the rear view mirror is manual, so one has to flick it to avoid glare during low light situation(s). 

Like most EV's, there is no physical controls below the 15.6" touchscreen for ventilation or volume, but at least there's a volume scroll wheel between the seats, and the demister switches are there, too. The camera system has 360 deg view with see through mode - making it easy to park in tight places. Crystal gear selector is in the center console.  

There’s a bar at the bottom of the 15.6" touchscreen for climate and fan menus, but if I don’t want to paly around with that, I can use the steering wheel controls to adjust the fan speed and temperature. Alternatively there is the voice control that will do most things, without having to take my eyes off the road.

Acoustic glass is provided at the front windows - helping to isolate the outside noise and making the ride feel more premium like a conti vehicle. 

The obligatory panoramic sunroof makes the car airy and the big glass roof has a roller shade cover. So I can close it up to prevent my bald head from being fried under Singapore's hot sun. No rear manual shades for the rear seats, which means spending more money and getting my own from the likes of Lazda or Shoppe. Fold down the rear seats and there’s 1,440L of cargo space to use. Under the boot floor, though, there’s no spare wheel. The Sealion 6 DM-i makes do with a tire repair kit. It also lacks any shopping bag hooks in the cargo zone, which is a bit of a miss.

The storage is decent inside the Sealion 6 DM-i, with bottle holders in the doors, a reasonable glovebox, cupholders between the seats, a covered center console bin, and a pair of wireless phone chargers rated at 15W each - unfortunately no active cooling.

With a 2,765mm wheelbase and 1,670mm of height clearance, the rear passengers have plenty of leg room and head room. The rear seats can recline back with directional air-vents and USB-C and USB-A ports for charging, plus storage nooks on the seatbacks, bottle holders in the doors, and a flip-down armrest with cupholders. Looks like a nice place to be and chill out.

Given that the Sealion 6 will have a price disadvantage due to Singapore's tax structure, this might pose an issue for interested buyers. At least it does have a lot of space, especially for rear passengers.

Current sales price for the Sealion 6 DM-i is $218,888 (11-Aug-2025) with strings attached. The CoE Cat B price is high at $123,498, so best not to rush into signing on the dotted line for now. 

Will post a follow up on price breakdown once OMV is published by LTA.

Edited August 11 by steveting99
typo and additional text

[mersaylee]

Saw it at the showroom...initially mistaken it as a harrier...😂

Interior quite plain...seat material feels inferior...the front windscreen too small for a suv...let alone with the added stupiak screen...the cashcard slot neatly tucked away by the side of passenger footwell...but the orientation for card access macam salah...positively, there's a glass breaker in the centre console compartment. 

Boot space surprisingly feel smaller and narrower than the 7...

Edited August 11 by mersaylee

[Freeder]

On 8/11/2025 at 6:13 PM, mersaylee said:

Saw it at the showroom...initially mistaken it as a harrier...😂

Interior quite plain...seat material feels inferior...the front windscreen too small for a suv...let alone with the added stupiak screen...the cashcard slot neatly tucked away by the side of passenger footwell...but the orientation for card access macam salah...positively, there's a glass breaker in the centre console compartment. 

Boot space surprisingly feel smaller and narrower than the 7...

So buy or bye?

[ER-3682]

Just wonder why Chinese EVs like to use Animals Name.?Seal,Sealion,Cat & etc.

[mersaylee]

On 8/11/2025 at 6:43 PM, Freeder said:

So buy or bye?

Go buy used harrier betterer...plenty of spares...😂

[ER-3682]

If BYD Seal have this Hybrid,i will consider.

[SGCM928]

New Sealion 6 (available in EV and DM-i) already launched in China last month, please don't buy this "new" old.

Credit to @Carbon82 for sharing info of the new Sealion 6 in the COE thread.

[13177]

On 8/11/2025 at 6:43 PM, Freeder said:

So buy or bye?

I believe many people will buy cause it is a BYD. This is the reason why BYD can be number 1 best seller. Lol.

[Heartlander]

On 8/11/2025 at 10:53 PM, SGCM928 said:

New Sealion 6 (available in EV and DM-i) already launched in China last month, please don't buy this "new" old.

Credit to @Carbon82 for sharing info of the new Sealion 6 in the COE thread.

Finally someone pointed out the obvious. This is a 4 to 5 year old model and there is already Sealion 7. 

[Ake109]

I test drove this and the Jaecoo J7 PHEV.

For this, when you step full, there is a lag of 1 to 2 seconds before full power (not sure, ICE engine add power of what) but for the J7, there seems to be no such lag.

[steveting99]

On 8/11/2025 at 11:07 PM, Heartlander said:

Finally someone pointed out the obvious. This is a 4 to 5 year old model and there is already Sealion 7. 

@Heartlander The refreshed Song Plus was launched in June 2023 for the Chinese market. The Australia/New Zealand market got the Sealion 6 DM-i first in RHD version around April 2024, a delay of about 10 months. The issue is conversion of LHD version made in mainland China to RHD version to some international markets. Expect some delay. Most likely the Ozies/Kiwies will be the first to get the newest (i.e the 2025 RHD version) of the Sealion 6 DM-i somewhere in Q2 2026. Sime Darby (BYD importer) and it's AD (Vantage Automotive) has purposely delayed bringing in the RHD version of PHEV into Singapore by about two years. LHD versions are faster to reach the international markets compared to RHD versions. So don't hold your breath waiting for newest RHD Sealion 6 DM-i, as it'll take about another two years before reaching Singapore. I.e. mid-2027. 

For those who want burn dead dino juice and happy with the price offered by BYD (taking into consideration the high Cat B CoE price), the Sealion 7 DM-i offers value for money.  

Note that Chery's Jaecoo J7 PHEV is a good alternative. Once the the Sealion 6 DM-i came into the Singapore market, Vertex Automobiles (AD of Chery's Jaecoo brand here in Singapore) had to drop the price of the J7 by about $20k to compete. Competition is good for consumers. 👍

Edited August 12 by steveting99
additional text

[inlinesix]

On 8/11/2025 at 10:53 PM, SGCM928 said:

New Sealion 6 (available in EV and DM-i) already launched in China last month, please don't buy this "new" old.

Credit to @Carbon82 for sharing info of the new Sealion 6 in the COE thread.

On 8/11/2025 at 11:07 PM, Heartlander said:

Finally someone pointed out the obvious. This is a 4 to 5 year old model and there is already Sealion 7. 

It was pointed out in other thread that talks it before someone created a dedicated thread for it

[Hamburger]

BYD and Toyota have something in common.

 

Not that they are not volume seller, but they design ugly steering wheel. Thats a deal breaker for me.

[Mancypher]

On 8/12/2025 at 9:34 AM, Hamburger said:

BYD and Toyota have something in common.

 

Not that they are not volume seller, but they design ugly steering wheel. Thats a deal breaker for me.

Only win is BYD one is flat bottom. That's all. 

[Unfazed]

May I ask if we are a good dumping ground? 🙂

Which dumping ground, other than us, is so good that can dump yet can fetch highest price?😆

[Benarsenal]

On 8/11/2025 at 6:50 PM, ER-3682 said:

Just wonder why Chinese EVs like to use Animals Name.?Seal,Sealion,Cat & etc.

BYD has their Ocean series, so Dolphin, Seal, Sealion + Seagull (hatch) and Shark (pickup).

Other carmakers use Dog/Cat etc to appeal to younger buyers who like cute stuff.

[ER-3682]

On 8/12/2025 at 11:38 AM, Benarsenal said:

BYD has their Ocean series, so Dolphin, Seal, Sealion + Seagull (hatch) and Shark (pickup).

Other carmakers use Dog/Cat etc to appeal to younger buyers who like cute stuff.

Rolls Royce have Ghost,should have Vampire.