Last night, BYD Cars Philippines officially launched the Seal 5 – an electrified sedan that starts at just under PHP 1 million.

With the model featuring the Super DM-i technology that made the Sealion 6 a hot-selling vehicle in the PH market, BYD looks to have another contender that could shake up the hybrid sedan segment.

Packing the 18.3 kWh BYD Blade Battery that powers an electric motor putting out 197 PS and 325 Nm of torque in the Premium variant, the four-door sedan promises an all-electric range of up to 115 km, and a total range of over 1,100 km with its range extender.

Just like what they did with the Sealion 6, BYD Cars Philippines quickly proved those numbers are achievable and more in the local setting. Together with the supervision of the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP), a couple of Seal 5s led by veteran race car drivers Georges and Louie Ramirez set out to travel from Metro Manila to Tuguegarao, to Ilocos, then La Union, to Lipa City in Batangas, and finally back to BGC on one full charge and full tank of its range extender.

And guess what, the Seal 5 DM-i has managed to better the Sealion 6’s record of 1,608 kilometers. The four-door sedan racked up a total of 1,645.2 kilometers in one full tank and one full charge.

With BYD proving the long-distance capabilities of its electrified sedan, this would certainly catch the attention of both customers and the Seal 5’s rivals in the segment.