BYD's Second-Gen Seagull EV Arrives October 20 With RWD, Blade Batteries, and 9-Minute Charging

BYD is set to hand its best-selling affordable EV a substantial overhaul. The Chinese automaker has confirmed through a media invitation that the second-generation Seagull will make its official debut on October 20 at the Zhengzhou International Circuit, with pricing to be announced at the event. Blind pre-orders quietly opened on October 9, according to Zhang Zhuo, general manager of BYD’s Ocean series, though no price figures were shared at that time.

Positioned as BYD’s smallest and most cost-conscious electric car in its home market, the current Seagull starts at 69,900 yuan — the equivalent of roughly $10,000. Overseas, the same vehicle is sold in Europe and the UK under the Dolphin Surf nameplate, where it opens at €22,900 (about $25,000), and it also appears in some markets as the Dolphin Mini. That combination of low entry price and respectable range has made it a global volume leader: through the first eight months of 2026, data from Cleantechnica placed the Seagull (counting its Dolphin Surf and Mini variants) as the sixth best-selling electric car worldwide. The growing wave of cheap competitors in China appears to be the backdrop for this upgrade.

The second-generation car grows meaningfully in almost every dimension. Documents filed with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) list the new model at 4,205 mm long, 1,810 mm wide and 1,570 mm high, riding on a 2,650 mm wheelbase. Compared with the outgoing Seagull, that means an extra 425 mm of length and a 150 mm longer wheelbase, plus a fifth seat. Power rises sharply too: a 95 kW (127 hp) motor replaces the current 55 kW (75 hp) unit, and the drivetrain shifts from front- to rear-wheel drive. BYD also swapped in a multi-link independent rear suspension to sharpen both comfort and handling.

Battery options come in the form of two BYD lithium iron phosphate Blade packs, rated at up to 320 km and 420 km on the CLTC cycle. The pricier trims add BYD’s 1,500 kW Flash Charging, which the company says can move the battery from 10% to 70% in five minutes and from 10% to 97% in nine minutes; even at -30°C, a 20% to 97% charge is claimed to take 12 minutes. Inside, buyers get a larger central infotainment display, a two-spoke steering wheel, a redesigned center console and a return of physical buttons.

Safety and assistance tech get a similar step up. Every version is fitted with BYD’s 140 km/h high-speed tire blowout stability system, while upper trims gain the God’s Eye B intelligent driving setup and the DiPilot 300 driver assistance system with a roof-mounted LiDAR. Chinese online speculation suggests dealers may pre-deduct prices at roughly 85,000 yuan (around $12,500) ahead of the official reveal, though that remains unconfirmed. Once the Chinese launch is complete, BYD is expected to bring the larger, more advanced car to overseas markets, most likely in some form of the Dolphin Surf or Dolphin Mini.