Quick reads
- BYD India has teased a new hybrid SUV On their Instagram handle
- The upcoming model is likely to be the Sealion 6 PHEV
- It could be BYD’s first plug-in hybrid vehicle in India
BYD (Build Your Dreams – an adopted backronymic slogan) has teased a new plug-in hybrid SUV for India. The brand dropped a teaser on its official Instagram handle, hinting at the brand’s first major plug-in hybrid to be launched in the country.
Likely To Be The Sealion 6
While the teaser does not confirm which model will be launched, it is strongly rumoured that the upcoming SUV is likely to be the BYD Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid. And we think this because of the logic behind the teaser, where the brand has given a subtle hint in the caption:
Electric or Petrol?
Range or Silence?
Power or efficiency?
What if you never had to choose?
Eliminating the “OR”
We think this directly points to the globally sold BYD Sealion 6, which is also the BYD Song Plus. The model is currently available in a lot of international markets like Australia, Thailand, and Europe.
If launched in India, the BYD Sealion 6 would be an important model because the brand has so far launched only pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) like the Atto 3, Seal, and eMAX 7. We think the brand is trying to give a glimpse of its tech to the buyers who want partial electrification, as of now, without depending entirely on the charging infrastructure.
BYD Sealion 6’s Hybrid Tech
Internationally, the 2026 Sealion 6 uses BYD’s DM-i plug-in hybrid tech, where you get a 1.5-litre petrol engine paired to an electric motor and battery pack. This allows the PHEV SUV to operate in both EV-only and hybrid modes. Depending on the Sealion 6 variant, the plug-in hybrid SUV can offer a claimed electric-only range of over 100km, all while returning significantly more mileage than conventional petrol SUVs.
Performance figures vary market to market, but higher variants globally produce upwards of 223 kW or 300 hp through their dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setups. BYD’s DM-i hybrid powertrains are also usually tuned more toward efficiency and smoothness rather than outright frantic acceleration. So, we expect it to be a good family car for the city and highway cruising.
Our Opinion
We think that the Sealion 6 could arrive through the CBU route initially and then eventually see local assembly depending on market demand and government policies. If launched in India, it is expected to be priced in the Rs 35 lakh to Rs 45 lakh range and will be a worthy rival to the recently unveiled Honda ZR-V PHEV, the popular Toyota Fortuner, the Skoda Kodiaq, the Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line, the Jeep Meridian and the Citroen C5 Aircross. While some of these may be more expensive and have better performance than the BYD Sealion 6, what their buyers will miss out on is the practicality and the lowered running costs.
