Numbers first, because with the BYD Seagull they are the story: electric motor, 55 kW. Byd built from 2023, in the decade the industry is turning electric. Its designer of record is Under the lead of Wolfgang Egger.
Where it came from
The BYD Seagull (Chinese: 比亚迪海鸥; pinyin: Bǐyǎdí Hǎi'ōu) is a battery electric city car manufactured by BYD Auto since 2023. Positioned below the Dolphin within BYD's line-up, it is the smallest BYD vehicle, occupying the A0-class in Chinese segmentation, roughly equivalent to the European A-segment.
It is part of the Ocean Series product line and is marketed in China through Ocean Network branded dealerships. The car is sold in some Latin American markets as the BYD Dolphin Mini, in Europe and South Africa as the BYD Dolphin Surf, where it received substantial styling and powertrain revisions ahead of launch, and in several Asia-Pacific markets as the BYD Atto 1.
Under the skin
Under the skin sits electric motor; it is rated at 55 kW. Kerb weight is 1160 –. Power-to-weight lands near 47 horsepower per tonne, which is leisurely, which for a car of its age and purpose is the point. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. The wheelbase is 2500 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Where it sits in Byd's history is not in doubt: the BYD e1 came before it; it was built at Xi'an, Shaanxi. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Mitsubishi Xforce, the Jeep Avenger, the JAC Group JAC Yiwei 3. Nearby in the Byd catalogue sit the BYD 8TT and the BYD Atto 2.