Hot Seller: there’s a 500+ unit queue for the BYD Sealion 6 PHEV in PH

The moment BYD Cars Philippines told us what price they would be offering the Sealion 6 DM-i, we knew they had a hit on their hands.

A plug-in hybrid compact crossover with premium aspirations from an established electric vehicle manufacturer with perhaps the best current battery technology that is priced at PHP 1.5 million is unheard of in our market. And mind you, that’s the SRP and not an introductory price which has become rather the norm for the Ayala-run brands.

But just how many did BYD release already?

Speaking to Bob Palanca, the newly minted brand head for BYD Cars Philippines, it seems they have already released over 100 units of the Sealion 6 PHEV to customers. That’s very fast for a model that isn’t Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Honda, or Ford, and it has only been three weeks since the launch.

That’s not all: Bob also tells us that there is a 500 plus long list of reservations waiting to be served.

We were informed that the general customer profile of the Sealion 6 revolves around executives and their families, and even first-time car buyers. That’s not hard to see, as the Sealion 6 appealed to a large segment shopping for a vehicle in the PHP 1.5M range; undoubtedly a significant part of the car market.  

Right now BYD Cars Philippines (the distributor under AC Mobility) and BYD Philippines (BYD subsidiary importer) are working to bring in the vehicles to serve their ever-growing customer base. Bob didn’t give specific numbers on their monthly supply, but they are aiming for a steady and stable inventory to satisfy demand and sustain reservations.

“I want [our] cars on the road,” said Bob Palanca. “[That is] my ultimate objective and I want it fast: fast-paced releases to dealers and customers so they get to share the experience with others and they can try it.”

Still, the question on our minds is how in the world is BYD making money given the complexity of the tech and the overall impression of quality in the Sealion 6? Yes, it's Chinese and they have ridiculously huge economies of scale, but there is only so much that can be done to bring the price down. Bob says that even with the SRP as is, the distributor is happy, the importer is happy, the OEM in China is happy, the dealers are happy, and the customers are happy. So it's a win, win, win, win and win for everyone.

→ Learn more about the new BYD Sealion 6 DM-i