The original Seagull’s pitch was simple: a usable electric car for roughly $10,000. The second generation is playing in a different league. BYD has released design sketches of the new model, already being called the Great Seagull, through Zhang Zhuo, general manager of the company’s Ocean-series sales division. BYD has said it plans to launch the car in China by the end of 2026, though no specific date has been announced and no overseas availability has been confirmed.
Bigger, Faster, More Ambitious
The numbers from Chinese regulatory filings tell a straightforward story of growth.
According to those filings, the Great Seagull measures 4,205 mm long, 1,810 mm wide and 1,570 mm tall. Its wheelbase stretches to 2,650 mm. That length is a 425 mm jump over the current Seagull’s approximately 3,780 mm body, placing the new car near the upper B-segment and small-car class. The motor grows from 55 kW (roughly 75 hp) to 95 kW, or approximately 127 hp, though BYD has not published an official spec sheet.
Prototype sightings and regulatory documentation suggest several additional details, none confirmed by BYD for production:
- Possible 30-kWh and 39.2-kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery packs, with CLTC-cycle range claims of approximately 320 km and 420 km; CLTC figures are not directly comparable to European WLTP or real-world results
- A roof-mounted lidar sensor spotted on test prototypes, pointing toward possible God’s Eye B driver-assistance integration; production specification and market approval remain unconfirmed
- A larger infotainment display, redesigned center console and two-spoke steering wheel visible in prototype images
- A reported 150 km/h top speed from regulatory filings; no acceleration figures are available
The design sketches offer the clearest visual evidence yet of where the car is headed. Zhang Zhuo described the direction in a Weibo post, as reported and translated by CNEVPost: “Preserving the classic design while embracing new expression, the lines have been reshaped and the surface refreshed.” The sketches show a cleaner front end, a rising beltline and trident-shaped lighting elements front and rear, bringing the hatchback visually closer to BYD’s pricier Ocean-series models.
The current Seagull opens at 69,900 yuan (roughly $10,000) in China. The European version, sold as the Dolphin Surf, starts at approximately €22,900. Electrek reports the larger model could launch in China by the end of 2026, but that figure is not an official BYD number and should be treated as speculation until the company confirms it.
The Lidar Question
A roof-mounted lidar unit on a sub-€30,000 hatchback would be genuinely unusual, and prototype hardware rarely survives to production unchanged.
Spotting a sensor on a test mule does not mean it ships standard, survives the production process or clears regulatory approval in export markets. If the Great Seagull does reach European showrooms with meaningful driver-assistance capability at an affordable price, rivals such as the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03 would face direct competition from a car offering substantially more technology. That remains a conditional outcome, not a confirmed one.
BYD has said it plans to launch in China by the end of 2026. Final specifications, global market plans and production pricing have not been publicly confirmed. The Great Seagull’s shape is getting clearer; the fine print is not.
