BYD’s redesigned Seagull starts at 65,900 yuan in China, about $10,000, and the company has now shown the car holding its lane after a front tire is punctured at 140 km/h, a little under 90 mph. Zhang Zhuo, general manager of BYD’s Ocean Series, circulated the video, and a high-speed tire blowout stability system is listed as standard equipment. The car in the clip slows gradually and comes to a stop without leaving its lane.
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The demonstration comes one week after the second-generation hatchback went on sale on October 20, 2026. It grew by 425 millimeters, gained a fifth seat and swapped its drivetrain layout, and BYD is leaning on safety footage to argue that a budget car does not have to feel like one at speed.
The blowout test and its limits
According to Electrek’s write-up, the system stabilizes the car at speeds up to 140 km/h, roughly 87 mph. Spanish outlet Hibridos y Electricos described the setup in more detail: BYD fitted a device to the front-right tire that punctured it in several places at about 140 km/h, producing almost immediate pressure loss. The car then stayed in its lane and slowed until it stopped.
That coverage added the obvious caveat that this was a manufacturer-organized demonstration, not an independent test. Road surface, speed and tire condition all change what happens in a real blowout, so the clip shows the system working under controlled conditions rather than guaranteeing the same result for every driver.
BYD’s launch announcement on WeChat, which Gasgoo summarized lists the tire-blowout stability system alongside standard automatic emergency braking, and says it helps keep the vehicle stable after a blowout at speeds up to 140 km/h.
The manufacturer’s framing matters for how the clip should be read. Blowout stability systems generally work by detecting the sudden loss of pressure and adjusting braking and steering torque to hold the car straight, but BYD has not published the thresholds, tire specification or number of trials behind the 140 km/h figure in the material reviewed, so the demonstration is one data point rather than a rating.
Pricing across five trims
The Seagull is BYD’s cheapest pure electric car in China, and Electrek’s launch report covers the week-earlier debut. The base Vitality Edition is 65,900 yuan, or 62,900 yuan under a limited-time trade-in incentive, and the range runs through five trims to 99,900 yuan, about $14,900. The first-generation car started at 69,900 yuan, about $10,500, so the entry price fell even as the body grew. CarNewsChina’s launch report lists the intermediate trims at 72,900, 75,900 and 82,900 yuan.
The price is a Chinese figure. Electrek gives no U.S. price for it, and nothing in the launch coverage points to an American sale. The same car is marketed as the Dolphin Surf in Europe and the UK and as the Dolphin Mini in other markets, and Electrek said the second generation is expected to reach those markets in due course.
Cabin changes follow the size increase. CarNewsChina listed up to 1,380 liters of rear cargo space with the seats folded and a 94-liter front trunk, six-way power adjustment for the driver’s seat, heated and ventilated front seats, and an eight-speaker audio system. Rear passengers get their own air vents, and the structure is described as a cage-style body with up to six airbags.
A larger body, two batteries and flash charging
The new Seagull measures 4,205 by 1,810 by 1,570 millimeters on a 2,650 mm wheelbase, up 150 mm, and seats five instead of four. Electrek’s description of the drivetrain says power comes from an 85 kW or 95 kW motor, up from 55 kW, with a multi-link independent rear suspension. Gasgoo’s regulatory details list a 95 kW rear-mounted motor driving the rear wheels, so the two accounts disagree on which axle drives the car.
Two LFP battery packs are offered, 30.1 kWh and 39.2 kWh, with CLTC range of 320 km and 420 km, about 199 and 261 miles. BYD says its second-generation Blade Battery with flash charging takes the larger pack from 10 to 70 percent in five minutes and to 97 percent in nine, and CarNewsChina reported that flash charging is limited to the top three trims.
Technology filters down as well: a 15.6-inch DiLink 150 screen, an optional roof-mounted lidar and DiPilot 300 driver assistance called God’s Eye, plus a 50-watt wireless phone charger. The commercial backdrop is less flattering. CarNewsChina put global Seagull sales at 266,000 units from January through September, down 33 percent, with China sales falling 66 percent to 83,600, which it attributed largely to Geely’s EX2. Whether a blowout video can reverse that slide is the open question for the new car. Geely’s EX2, sold as the Xingyuan, moved 310,000 units in the same period according to that report, which shows how quickly rivals have crowded the sub-$15,000 end of the Chinese market where the Seagull competes.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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