Fast Lane: BYD Seal arrives, armoured electric BMW, Kia EV5 due in 2025

The BYD Seal electric saloon has arrived in Singapore. Three variants are available – a Standard Range rear-wheel drive with a 61.44kWh battery, an Extended Range rear-wheel drive with an 82.56kWh battery (with a claimed range of up to 570km), and an all-wheel-drive dual-motor with an 82.56kWh battery. The first is suitable for those who rarely drive to Malaysia, the second for those who drive regularly to Malacca or farther, and the third for those who want a performance car. Although prices have not been announced, the Seal is poised to be the Chinese car manufacturer’s priciest model here. It should, however, be noticeably less costly than the Tesla Model 3, which the car is believed to compete against.

A Category A version of the MG4 is due in Singapore in the next quarter. Equipped with a 99kW motor (versus 150kW for the Category B version launched in January), the car’s torque and battery size remain unchanged (250Nm and 64kWh). In Britain, MG has released an MG4 which promises close to 520km of driving range. The MG4 Trophy Extended Range uses a 77kWh battery to power a rear-mounted motor to achieve this task. When plugged into a 150kW DC charger, the car can juice up from 10 to 80 per cent in 39 minutes. The MG4 Extended Range will not be offered here.