Regulatory filings show the second-generation BYD Seagull switching from a 55kW front wheel drive layout to a 95kW rear motor, multi-link rear suspension, and a front boot! A serious upgrade at the bottom of China’s EV market.
The BYD Seagull, the tiny EV that undercuts almost everything else on sale in China, is getting a mechanical overhaul for its second generation that looks more like a step upmarket than the usual cheap and cheerful update.
Filings with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), first surfaced by Chinese outlet Autohome, show the new Seagull moving its motor from the front axle to the rear. The rear mounted unit (listed as model TZ164XYB) produces 95kW and a 150km/h top speed, nearly double the outgoing car’s 55kW front motor. The rear axle also switches from a torsion beam to independent multi-link suspension, riding on 205/60 R16 tyres and 16 inch alloy wheels.
Moving the drivetrain to the back has a knock-on benefit: with the front axle no longer doing double duty, there’s now room under the bonnet for a front boot. BYD hasn’t said how much capacity it holds, but the layout itself is notable at this price point. The car has grown to match. Wheelbase is up to 2,650mm and overall length to 4,205mm, about 70mm longer than rival city cars in the same class.
This is regulatory paperwork and a leaked reveal, not a formal BYD unveiling, so there’s no official spec sheet, pricing, or launch date yet, and BYD hasn’t disclosed the front trunk’s actual capacity. But a government filing that lists a specific motor model number and axle configuration is a considerably stronger basis for a story than a rumour or a spy shot, and it lines up with what’s visible on the revealed car itself.
In a segment where price decides pretty much everything, this is an unexpected and very welcome change. The Seagull is BYD’s cheapest EV, so giving that car a rear wheel drive layout, an independent rear end and a front boot, packaging usually reserved for cars a size class up, says something about how far the cost of “acceptable” specification has fallen in China’s EV market, and how much pressure that puts on cheap EVs everywhere else.
Sourcing note: Based on MIIT regulatory filings and the vehicle BYD has already revealed. No official BYD press release exists yet, this is filing based reporting.
