BYD Seal U driving report: The innovation is not in the drive

So there it is, the car from China that VW, BMW and Mercedes are supposed to be trembling in fear of. The BYD Seal U, a mid-size SUV, 4.79 meters long, battery-electric, handsomely designed by Wolfgang Egger, the former Audi designer - and you can clearly see that in the car: The side line is reminiscent of the current Audi Q5, the rear and front of the Porsche Macan. Cars that compete in the same size class but are tens of thousands of euros more expensive.

BYD, the world's largest manufacturer of electric cars ahead of Tesla since last year, is not only showing what it can do technologically in Shenzhen with its latest model. BYD also proves the price at which a properly finished SUV of this size is possible when it is built in China. The "Comfort" version costs 41,990 euros, the "Design" model 44,990 euros. A really competitive price for a car in this class.

In return, the customer gets a family SUV with a drive that is more well-behaved than sporty: the 160 kW (218 hp) output of the electric motor at the front is just about adequate motorization. The chassis is clearly trimmed for comfort. The ride is surprisingly quiet. It takes 9.6 seconds to reach 100 km/h and stops at 175 km/h. BYD will probably add a sportier version with two motors.

The Seal U also takes its time when charging: the 87 kWh battery of the "Design" model is charged with a maximum of 140 kW. It takes 28 minutes to charge from 30 to 80 percent. Nevertheless, the Chinese are proud of their battery, as the "Blade" battery in the floor of the car is very flat, which enables a low seating position. The lithium iron phosphate cells used by BYD do not require any critical elements such as cobalt, which is often mined under questionable conditions.

In addition, the battery is particularly well protected against damage, hardly ages and can be used 100 percent of the time. Conventional lithium-ion batteries are only charged and discharged to a maximum of 90 percent to prevent premature ageing. "This is not necessary with our blade battery," assures chief developer Weijie Zhang. BYD's experience is evident here: the company was founded in 1994 as a battery manufacturer.

The company now employs 600,000 people worldwide. A few thousand are to be added in Europe in the next few years. BYD is planning a plant in Hungary. The ground-breaking ceremony is in spring. Ten percent of employees worldwide are engineers. And this is not only noticeable in the sophisticated design of the car. Gap dimensions and workmanship are beyond reproach. In the interior, materials such as the seat covers and dashboard are "vegan". This used to be called artificial leather. The large screen in the center rotates from horizontal to vertical and back at the touch of a button.

But the real revolution is not invisible: the IT architecture of the car, the digital backbone, is based on a central computer. This is divided into three domains, as Head of Development Weijie Zhang explains when asked. Similar to Tesla, BYD has reached a level of development that German car manufacturers are still working on. Most German models still have dozens of small computers (ICUs), one for each function. Yesterday's technology.

Central computers like BYD's are not only better suited to automated driving. They also allow extensive updates. These will also be necessary, as the driver assistance systems (ADAS) of the BYD are currently rather average. The display of the maximum permitted speed in the navigation system and the display in front of the driver sometimes contradict each other: As the Seal U is already equipped with the speed warning system prescribed in Europe, it occasionally warns of speeding where you are not speeding at all.

One of the next updates could rectify this shortcoming. The car should then also have a route planning function with calculated charging breaks. This is not yet available.

In a few days, the Seal U will be available from the 25 or so BYD dealers in Germany. By the end of the year, there should already be 100 dealers. So do German car manufacturers need to fear the new competition from China? Fear is rarely a good advisor, but they should have respect. (aum)