BYD Sealion 6 DM-i, the plug-in hybrid electric mid-size crossover, was spotted testing on public roads in Tamil Nadu, India, without any camouflage, as the launch is drawing near. BYD India, the Indian subsidiary of the Chinese automobile manufacturer Build Your Dreams, has officially confirmed the launch will take place in the second half of 2026 but didn’t reveal any date or month.
Reports suggest that BYD India will launch the Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in the Indian market around the festive season to compete with the MG Hector Tomahawk PHEV. The recent spy shots of test mules have been floating on the internet since yesterday, which shows the car without any camouflage revealing exterior features and design for this upcoming sport utility vehicle.
The spied images confirm that the Sealion 6 DM-i, also known by the names of Song Plus DM-i or Seal U DM-i for the international market, has a similar design to the one sold globally. This is not the first time when this BYD plug-in hybrid electric SUV is spotted testing undisguised; earlier spy shots for the prototype SUV were also found with the exterior design as of the recent one.
What is officially revealed for the BYD Seal U (Sealion 6) DM-i?
Back in June 2026, BYD India held an event to unveil Super DM-i (Dual Mode-intelligent) plug-in hybrid technology for the upcoming PHEVs, on which the upcoming BYD Sealion 6 DM-i is based. It is an EV-centric hybrid architecture which prioritises electric driving over ICE power because it uses the ICE as a generator, and it won’t have any traditional transmission; instead, it gets a one-speed automatic gearbox with an integrated clutch.
This hybrid system can have either a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged or naturally aspirated petrol-powered internal combustion engine that operates on the Actison or Miller cycle with the thermal efficiency between 43.04 and 46.06 per cent; and two high-speed hairpin motors on the front axle, one named P1 acting as a generator and the other as P3 as traction, whose efficiency is 97.5%, with liquid-cooled features for the maximum power density.
What else do we know about the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i?
Apart from these details, nothing is officially confirmed for the upcoming DM-i SUV. Reports suggest that not only the design but also all specifications and features will be similar to the internal model. Meaning, the length, width, and height will be 4,775 mm (188.0 in), 1,890 mm (74.4 in), and 1,670 mm (65.7 in), respectively, with a 2,765 mm (108.9 in) wheelbase and 173 mm (6.8 in) ground clearance.
As a five-seater, it will have a boot space of 425 litres that will be expandable by folding the second-row seats. If you come to India as FWD, then it will get a 72 kW 1.5-litre 4-cylinder NA-petrol ICE and a 145 kW electric motor delivering the combined power output up to 160 kW; and the AWD version will have a 102 kW 1.5-litre 4-cylinder turbo-petrol ICE, a 150 kW front electric motor, and a 120 kW rear motor, whose combined power output is 238 kW.
The top speed for the FWD and AWD is 170 km and 180 km, respectively, and the 0 to 100 kmph acceleration timing for the former one will be 8.5 seconds, but the same for the latter would be 5.5 to 5.9 seconds. A lithium-ion battery pack of 18.3 kWh is certain for the 92 km and 81 km for the front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive variants, respectively, on the NEDC condition.
Image: Autocar