BYD Sealion 7 Scores 5 Stars In Euro NCAP Crash Tests

Chinese EV manufacturer BYD has been revolutionising the EV market with each new launch. The company’s latest product, the Sealion 7 premium electric crossover, has been received very well by both local and global audiences. The Sealion 7 adds another feather to its cap, with its crash test results.

Extraordinary Safety Performance

Euro NCAP has tested the Comfort variant of the Sealion 7 in LHD guise. The Sealion 7 has received the following scores:

• Adult Occupant Protection: 87%
• Child Occupant Protection: 93%
• Vulnerable Road Users: 76%
• Safety Assist Systems: 79%

These figures can be termed as class-leading. The Sealion 7 has performed remarkably well in the tests, as shown by the strong scores.

Adult Occupant Protection

The passenger compartment remained stable during the frontal offset crash test. Critical body areas such as knees and femurs received excellent protection, for both the driver and co-driver. However, during the full-width rigid barrier test, rear seat passenger protection was rated as ‘weak’. Except for this one area, overall the car performed very well in the crash tests. The Sealion 7 received full points in the side barrier and pole impact tests. The vehicle offered excellent protection to all critical areas of the body during these tests. Whiplash protection was rated good for both front and rear occupants.

Child Occupant Protection

The Sealion 7 scored very well in child occupant protection. The vehicle received an overall 93% in this area. The SUV fared well in both frontal and side crash tests, providing good protection for the 6-year-old and 10-year-old child dummies. The Sealion 7 comes with ISOFIX child seat mounts and a ‘child presence detection’ system, which notifies the driver if a child is left unattended.

Vulnerable Road Users

The Sealion 7 scored 76% for pedestrian and cyclist safety. The Sealion 7’s autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system performed well during the detection of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. However, some areas like head protection near the windshield pillars and cyclist dooring prevention were rated as marginal.

Safety Assistance Systems

The Sealion 7 comes loaded with an expansive list of driver assistance systems. Some of them are

• Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with vehicle, pedestrian, and cyclist detection
• Lane keep assist and emergency lane keeping
• Speed limit recognition and intelligent speed assistance
• Direct driver monitoring system for fatigure and distraction detection
• Advanced eCall system and multi-collision braking system
• Seat belt reminder for all passengers

BYD In India

BYD offers the Seal Sedan, Atto 3 Crossover, Sealion 7 Premium Crossover, and the eMax 7 MPV in India. All of these models are brought into India as CBUs, and hence are priced at a premium over their rivals. This also reflects in the expensive spare part prices. BYD has shown interest in setting up a manufacturing plant in India, however, the Indian government rejected this proposal.