BYD India’s First PHEV Launches June 9: Atto 2 or Sealion 6 DM-i?

On June 9, 2026, Build Your Dream’s Indian subsidiary, BYD India, is all set to launch a plug-in hybrid vehicle; however, they haven’t yet announced which one it will be. 

Reportedly, it can be either the BYD Atto 2 DM-i or the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i. Notably, the former one was spotted testing in India last year in August, and the latter one was spotted last month, May, so we aren’t anticipating that it may be the Sealion 6 DM-i.

Just ten days after the spotting of the Sealion DM-i in Tamil Nadu, BYD India released a teaser image; it hints that the next upcoming PHEV from BYD would be the Sealion 6 DM-i. All the details regarding the launch are still pending, and it is most likely that the Chinese automaker won’t reveal the name of the upcoming plug-in hybrid electric car before launch. 

Currently, BYD is selling five pure-electric vehicles in the Indian market, which are the BYD Atto 3, BYD Seal, BYD eMax 7, and BYD Sealion 7, whose ex-showroom prices range from ₹24.99 lakh to ₹33.99 lakh, ₹26.90 lakh to ₹29.90 lakh, ₹41.00 lakh to ₹53.15 lakh, and ₹48.90 lakh to ₹54.90 lakh, respectively. 

The upcoming PHEV from BYD in India is going to be the first model that uses a DM-i plug-in hybrid vehicle featuring an internal combustion engine, a permanent magnet synchronous motor, an induction motor (if AWD), and a lithium iron phosphate battery pack that will run on battery like EVs as well as on gasoline.

There’s no word regarding the pricing from the manufacturer, but it is found in a few trustworthy reports that if it were the Sealion 6 DM-i, it would cost ex-showroom between ₹35 lakh and ₹50 lakh, and for the same for the Atto 2 DM-i, it is expected to be between ₹18 lakh and ₹25 lakh. 

Seeing the expected price, you must have noticed that the Sealion 6 DM-i is likely to be quite costlier than the Atto 2 DM-i, and as we have a trend of BYD making an entry into the Indian market with premium EVs and then introducing the entry-level, more likely, they are also going to do the same with PHEVs

Notably, it is confirmed that BYD introduced both PHEVs, that are Atto 3 DM-i and Sealion 6 DM-i, but for either of them, the carmaker hasn’t revealed any specifications; however, reports confirm that they will come with the same specifications and features that are offered internally. So, let’s have a closer look at each of these PHEVs

The Sealion 6 DM-i is 4775 mm longer, 1890 mm wider, and 1670 mm taller. Its wheelbase, the distance between the front and rear wheels, is 2764 mm, and ground clearance when there are no occupants is 180 mm, but when loaded, it decreases to 150 mm. For Indian road conditions, it is impractical; maybe it will be introduced in India with a better ride height. 

Internationally, it is available with both single-motor front-wheel drive and double-motor all-wheel drive drivetrains; both use a single-speed automatic transmission. Under the hood, it gets a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder (Atkinson cycle) engine; notably, the FWD system output is 218 hp, but the AWD’s is 344 hp.

On the other hand, the BYD Atto 2 DM-i’s length, width, and height are 4,330 mm, 1,830 mm, and 1,675 mm, respectively; its wheelbase is 2,620 mm, and ground clearance is 170 mm when unladen. When laden, it decreases by 20 mm. Similar to the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i, it is also expected to come to India with a ride height above 200 mm.

It will come with a single-motor front-wheel drive configuration using the same single-speed automatic transmission but with a 1.5-litre NA petrol engine. It may be offered with an LFP battery pack that is 7.8 kWh and 18 kWh, with which the system delivers the power of 166 hp and 212 hp, respectively.