According to InsideEVs, the $8,000 BYD Seagull isn’t just a cheap car. The best-selling car in China offers a classy driving experience at a low price, and that’s what scares many Western automakers. Unlike Western automakers, who promise that the technology they use in their expensive models will eventually make its way to cheaper models, BYD has already made the game-changer a reality at a price that’s accessible to the masses. The BYD Seagull stands in stark contrast to expensive EVs like the Lucid Air or Porsche Taycan, which feel like “the 1%” and are nothing more than a “dream” for the average person.
Despite its $8,000 price tag, the BYD Seagull is surprisingly well-built. Despite being similar in size to the Chevrolet Spark EV, it doesn’t have the “cheap” feel or “punishing” driving experience that often comes with cheaper entry-level models. Instead, the car shares the same level of quality and feel as more expensive BYD models like the BYD Seal 06 GT or Sealion 05, giving it a classy feel. In terms of driving performance in particular, it has refined mannerisms, a smooth but not overly squishy ride, a solid chassis, quick steering, and good communication, without the overly soft suspension or unstable chassis issues that are common in cheap Chinese cars. BYD has done a good job of tuning the chassis, unlike many emerging Chinese OEMs.
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Another strength of the BYD Seagull is its feature richness for its price. It offers infotainment features like a 10-inch touchscreen, and even the sub-$12,000 version can be optioned with features like the “God’s Eye” DiPilot driver assistance system (a proto Level 2 assisted driving system). That’s a lot more than the Honda Fit (ICE model) in the same price range. Mingyu Guan, a senior partner at McKinsey Associates, explains that this is a logical choice because it satisfies the core principle of Chinese consumers: “value for money.” This combination of great features and reasonable price is appealing not only to Chinese but also to price-conscious consumers around the world.
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The reason why the BYD Seagull can offer such great value at such a low price is because of China’s low labour costs, as well as BYD’s outstanding level of vertical integration. This price competitiveness poses a serious threat to Western automakers. With a few exceptions in Europe, such as the Dacia Spring, where there are cheap EVs but limited performance, many Western manufacturers have effectively handed over the low-end market to the used car market. This gives Chinese EV makers like BYD and Geely an easy opportunity to sell thousands of cheap EVs in price-sensitive markets like Mexico and the Philippines, easily stealing customers who were once loyal to Western brands but now can’t afford to buy new. That’s what makes them so scary.
