An EV for under $10,000? After selling nearly 35,000 Seagull models in March, cumulative sales of BYD’s cheapest electric car topped 360,000. And that’s in less than 12 months since it launched.
BYD sells over 360,000 units of its cheapest electric car
BYD launched the Seagull on April 26, 2023. It was initially available in three trims, starting at $10,200 (RMB 73,800), its cheapest electric car.
The base model featured 190 miles (305 km) CLTC range, while the long-range top trim features over 250 miles (405 km) range. After selling over 280,000 Seagull models last year, topping the popular Dolphin and Atto 3, BYD revealed an even lower-priced version last month.
BYD revealed the new Seagull EV Honor Edition with a “shocking price starting from 69,800 yuan,” or about $9,700 USD.
The new model is powered by a 30.08 kWh or 38.88 kWh battery pack for 190 miles (305 km) or 252 miles (405 km) CLTC range, respectively. The three new Seagull EV trims include:
BYD Seagull Honor Edition trim
Starting Price
Range (CLTC)
Active
$9,700 (69,800 yuan)
190 mi (305 km)
Free
$10,500 (75,800 yuan)
190 mi (305 km)
Flying
$12,000 (85,800 yuan)
252 mi (405 km)
BYD Seagull EV prices and range
After selling nearly 35,000 Seagulls models in March alone, BYD’s cheapest electric car topped 360,000 cumulatively in less than one year.
BYD is launching the Seagull as the “Dolphin Mini” in overseas markets. The low-cost EV landed in Brazil earlier with a starting price around $20,000 (99,800 BRL).
According to BYD’s UK Marketing Manager, Mark Blundell, the automaker is “keen to have” the Seagull launch in the region.
Speaking with Autocar, Blundell said BYD aims to “make electric cars accessible to all,” and low prices are the focus. If launched, BYD’s Seagull would likely be the cheapest electric car in the UK, which could fuel its overseas expansion.
BYD sold over 300,000 EVs globally in the first three months of the year, up 13% YOY. However, the growth was not enough to top Tesla, which delivered 386,810 EVs in Q1 2024.
Electrek’s Take
BYD plans to accelerate its expansion with new lower-priced vehicles as it looks to take market share from gas-powered vehicles.
The Seagull is already garnering attention from top automakers globally. Ford’s CEO Jim Farley called the low-cost EV “pretty damn good” and warned rivals of BYD’s superior technology.
With most vehicle components built in-house, including batteries, BYD has a major advantage. The company can launch EVs under $10,000 and still earn a profit. This success is causing automakers like Ford, Volkswagen, Tesla, Rivian, and Kia to shift to smaller, more affordable electric vehicles.
BYD plans to launch its next-gen Blade EV battery this year, which will enable even lower prices while boosting range. The new battery could support over 621 miles (1,000 km) CLTC range for all-electric vehicles.
The company claims new energy vehicles (including PHEVs) have entered the “knockout round” over gas-powered cars with better tech and lower prices.
Although sales of Porsche’s first EV, the Taycan, fell nearly 50% in 2024, things could be looking up for the sports car maker. After its “launch literally electrified us,” the electric Porsche Macan may spark a comeback this year.
Why did Porsche’s EV sales drop in 2024?
Porsche delivered over 310,700 vehicles globally last year, or about 9,500 less than in 2023. Sales in China led the downfall, plunging 28% from the prior year amid a wave of low-cost domestic EVs entering the market.
In total, Porsche delivered 20,836 Taycan EVs to customers last year, down 49% from 2023. The lower total comes after launching the upgraded 2025 Taycan last year. Porsche also said, “The ramp-up of electric mobility is generally proceeding more slowly than planned” as part of the reason.
In its largest sales market, North America, Porsche delivered over 86,500 vehicles in 2024. Although that’s up a mere 1% from 2023, Porsche’s EV sales also took a hit.
Porsche sold 4,747 Taycan models in the US last year, 37% fewer than in 2023. The 2025 model began arriving at US dealerships last Summer, which helped push sales up nearly 75% in the fourth quarter to 2,358.
Meanwhile, Porsche’s second EV, the electric Macan, could have an even bigger impact. After delivering the first models at the end of September, Porsche delivered 18,278 electric Macans by the end of 2024.’
“This launch literally electrified us. I am therefore particularly pleased that more than 18,000 examples of the all-electric variant have already been delivered,” Porsche AG board member for sales and marketing, Detlev von Platen, said.
Porsche sold 2,771 electric Macan SUVs in the US last year. On a call with reporters (via Automotive News), the company’s North American CEO, Timo Resch, said, “A lot of the consumers that come into the Macan Electric are [new to the] brand.”
Electrek’s Take
I’m not here to say the electric Macan will be Porsche’s savior, but the strong sales start is promising. Porsche has already backtracked on plans for 80% of deliveries to be electric by 2030.
According to recent reports, the electric Cayenne, due out in 2026, could be delayed depending on market demand. The upcoming 718 Cayman and Boxster EVs could also face delays as Porsche plans to keep gas and hybrid models alive longer than expected.
Looking ahead, Porsche also plans to introduce an ultra-luxury electric SUV to sit above the Cayenne, codenamed “K1” internally. It’s expected to compete with Range Rover and Ferrari’s first electric SUVs.
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Elon Musk complains that Tesla is not getting subsidies for its electric truck chargers while calling for the end of electric vehicle subsidies in the US.
However, it wasn’t included in any round of funding, including the latest one announced this week, which should be the latest now that Trump is getting into office and campaigned on ending electric vehicle subsidies.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk contributed more than $240 million to get Trump elected and supported his goal of removing subsidies for electric vehicles.
That’s why it’s surprising to see Musk comment on the news in disappointment. He wrote on X: “Hear we go again (sigh)”.
While this specific project wasn’t funded, 49 other projects shared over $600 million in funding that will deploy more than 11,500 EV charging ports across 27 states, four federally recognized tribes, and the District of Columbia.
Also, while Tesla didn’t get any funding in this round, Tesla has received millions in funding for its charging stations in the previous round.
Electrek’s Take
I think that’s fair. If you are actively lobbying for the end of EV subsidies in the US, a market that is far behind the rest of the world in EV adoption, why should the administration that is investing in correcting that give you the subsidies you are trying to end?
It makes no sense. That’s why I also support California in signaling that if the Federal government removes its EV subsidies, it will replace them at the state level, but Tesla will be left out.
It’s especially fair considering Elon has made it clear that the reason he wants to kill EV subsidies, which Tesla was the biggest beneficiary of, is that he believes it will put more pressure on the competition than Tesla and potentially kill them while only Tesla will remain.
He basically wants to pull the ladder that Tesla used to get where it is now to prevent others from using it.
“Subsidies for me, not for thee” – Elon’s new motto.
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The US electric bike industry has already seen a regulation-heavy start to 2025. Now, New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s potential new restrictions on fast and exceedingly heavy electric bikes could add to the proposed and enacted legislation we’ve seen lately.
Hochul proposed in her State of the State address yesterday that Class 3 electric bikes weighing over 100 lb (45 kg) be excluded from existing electric bicycle regulations and instead be treated more like mopeds.
That would mean imposing motor vehicle regulations resulting in licensing and registration requirements, as well as disallowing their use in bike lanes.
The governor explained that this new regulation would ideally help increase the safety of bike lanes, according to Streetsblog NYC.
As a reminder, Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes can reach a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h) on motor power, with Class 2 e-bikes including a throttle that allows motor use without requiring the pedals to be used. In most states, Class 3 e-bikes can reach higher speeds of up to 28 mph (45 km/h) with pedal assist but not throttle. However, New York State has stricter Class 3 limits that provide for speeds up to just 25 mph (40 km/h).
The proposed new regulations would only target Class 3 e-bikes that exceed the suggested weight limit of 100 lb (45 kg).
Most electric bikes weigh well under 100 lb (45 kg). Common e-bikes seen regularly on US streets and bike lanes weigh between 50-75 lb (23 to 34 kg). However, there are some e-bike models available on the market that can reach or exceed 100 lb (45 kg). We’ve tested a few of them.
Such heavy electric bikes are usually visually similar to mopeds and light electric motorcycles, often featuring large tires, heavy motors, dual suspension, chunky frames, and other components that add significant weight. However, many heavy electric bicycles are limited to 20 mph (32 km/h), and could exceed the arbitrary 100 lb (45 kg) proposed limit while still not falling under this proposed regulation due to their Class 2 designation.
Electrek’s Take
At face value, there’s some logic to this. A 100 lb electric bike has a lot more rolling mass than a 50 lb electric bike, and you can guess which one I’d rather get hit by. Though at the same time, when the rider nearly always weighs more than the vehicle, the weight of the e-bike certainly has a lower relevance to its safety. With a 200 lb (91 kg) rider on both bikes, we’re only talking about a relatively small 20% difference in mass.
And it’s a bit telling that there wasn’t much discussion in the State of the State address about any other road safety issues, certainly not about the several thousand-pound cars that actually kill many New Yorkers every year.
I’m not saying I don’t support reasonable regulations to ensure the safety of everyone, in the bike lanes and outside of them. But let’s get real here. The percentage of electric bikes that are 100+ lb is tiny, likely under 1-2% of all e-bikes on the road. And that’s a tiny slice of an entire pie that is itself a tiny slice of the injury-causing-vehicle pie. So I’m not saying there isn’t any good regulation opportunity out there for e-bikes. But this is all fluff on top of fluff if you think it’s actually about making a meaningful impact on road safety. If they really cared about better protecting cyclists, governments would enforce existing laws to prevent cars from killing them so frequently.
These types of clumsy, heavy-handed regulations are just that – quick and dirty attempts to appear to be working towards a solution, when in fact they are largely meaningless in their ultimate impact on protecting lives.
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