BYD Sealion 08 Launch Date Confirmed: Full-Size SUV to Get BEV and PHEV Powertrains

The BYD Sealion 08, an upcoming full-size sport utility vehicle under the brand’s Ocean family, now has a confirmed date for its launch in the Chinese market. The carmaker has officially confirmed that they will launch the model on September 2, 2026, positioning it against the Deepal S09, Li L9, Zeekr 9X, AITO M8, and other SUVs in the D-segment. 

In the Ocean series, the carmaker is already selling three SUVs, which are Sealion 05, Sealion 06, and Sealion 07. Of these three, the first two are mid-size, and the last one is full-size. The upcoming one is set to be placed at the top in the lineup. Its price is still pending, but one thing is certain that it will be the costliest SUV in the series.

BYD has confirmed that they will launch the model not only with a battery electric powertrain as a BEV but also a plug-in hybrid electric as a PHEV to ensure they meet the requirements of all types of buyers, including eco-conscious drivers and one-car households. They both are available with two different drivetrains: the BEV with RWD and AWD and the PHEV with FWD and AWD.

Its exterior is quite similar to the Ocean S concept car. Outside, it has roof-mounted LiDAR; it is part of God’s Eye 5.0, BYD’s high-end ADAS, which is also marked as DiPilot 5.0, which features the following:

• Highway Navigate on Autopilot,
• Urban Navigation on Autopilot,
• Lane keeping and lane changes,
• Adaptive cruise control,
• Automatic braking and collision avoidance,
• Traffic-object and pedestrian detection, and 
• Automated parking.

The main highlights on its exterior are wave-shaped daylight running lights, bumper-integrated headlamps, flush-type door handles, roof rails, blackout pillars, multiple-spoke alloy wheels, flared wheel arches, A-pillar-mounted ORVMs, full-width wave-style LED taillamps, and a roof-integrated spoiler.

Dimensions are 5,115 mm in length, 1,999 mm in width, and 1,800 mm in height. Its wheelbase measures 3,030 mm. Two seating configurations are confirmed for this upcoming SUV: five seats in a 2-3 layout and six seats in a 2-2-2 arrangement. The cargo capacity is still undisclosed for China. 

In Australia, they will launch as seven-seaters in a 2-3-2 configuration which will have a cargo space of 270 litres that will be expandable to 960 litres and 1,960 litres with second-row and third-row seats down. 

The cabin has a D-shaped three-spoke steering wheel with a gear selector on its column and a digital instrument cluster behind it. A 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system is horizontally orientated on the dashboard’s centre, and there is a wireless smartphone charging pad on the centre console. 

The six-seater variant set has a heated and ventilated zero-gravity seat in the second row, a 21.4-inch ceiling-mounted rear-passenger entertainment screen, a 25-speaker Devialet sound system, and a small foldable table. Other notable interior features are as follows:

• Streaming digital rear-view mirror
• Panoramic glass roof
• Leather-trimmed seats
• Suede headliner
• Multi-level ambient lighting

Moving to the powertrain. The BEV will be available for sale in three variants: Standard, Long Range, and Performance. The first are available with RWD single-motor and the last two with AWD double-motor. The table below carries the key specifications for these variants.

And the PHEV will go on sale with two variants, which are DM-i 2WD and DM-i AWD. The former has an electric motor, and the latter has two. They both have internal combustion engines with 45.3% thermal efficiency. Refer to the table below to check all the core specifications.