BYD sold 529,537 Seagulls in 2025. Across the first eight months of 2026 it sold 227,251 — an adjusted 37.5% year-over-year decline. That collapse, driven largely by Geely's rival Xingyuan (sold abroad as the EX2), is the backdrop to the second-generation Seagull revealed through China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) filings, which shows a longer, more powerful, rear-wheel-drive car arriving in the Chinese market before the end of 2026.

The numbers in the filing are stark. The new car measures 4,205 mm long on a 2,650 mm wheelbase — up 425 mm and 150 mm respectively on the first-generation model. A 95 kW rear-mounted motor replaces the old 55 kW front unit and frees space for a front trunk. The torsion-beam rear axle gives way to a multi-link setup, and seating rises from four to five. The car now sits close in size to BYD's own Dolphin and to the Geely EX2 it is chasing.

Two LFP battery packs, of 30 kWh and 39.2 kWh, deliver CLTC ranges of 320 km and 420 km respectively — figures calculated under China's more forgiving test cycle rather than Western methods. An optional roof-mounted LiDAR supports BYD's God's Eye B SAE Level 2 driver assistance. Local media reports suggest higher trims could offer Flash Charging via the second-generation Blade battery, but BYD has not confirmed charging rates, so that claim remains unverified.

Benchmark turned follower

The specification sheet tells its own story. The new Seagull matches the EX2's 2,650 mm wheelbase, rear-drive layout, independent rear suspension and front trunk almost exactly, and runs 70 mm longer. That is a reversal for a car that set the benchmark for China's sub-CN¥100,000 (US$14,900) segment when it launched in April 2023. Hardware once reserved for pricier models is becoming the entry price at the bottom of the market, and that can only tighten margins in a segment already locked in a price war.

The competitive gap is measurable in retail data. Geely's Xingyuan recorded 39,651 retail registrations in August against 10,103 for the Seagull. The Seagull's 5.6% rise that month ended 12 consecutive months of decline, but one good month does not reverse a trend.

Upsizing creates problems inside BYD's own range. At near-Dolphin dimensions, the new car crowds BYD's lineup upward and leaves nothing beneath it at the size of the original Seagull. In Europe, where the current model sells as the Dolphin Surf from €22,900 (US$26,500), the successor is expected to land around €30,000 — raising BYD's European floor price just as local automakers introduce sub-€25,000 EVs.

Hungary-built kei car could fill the gap

BYD is reportedly weighing an adapted version of its Japan-exclusive Racco kei EV for Europe to plug that entry-level hole. Nikkei reported on 27 August that BYD plans to reuse the Racco's X-Pack architecture, which moves inverters and other electrics into the underfloor battery pack to free cabin space, for a similar European offering. Built in Hungary, such a car could sidestep EU duties on China-built EVs and qualify for the bloc's new E-car incentives for locally made models under 4.2 metres — a length limit the new Seagull overshoots by just 5 mm. These remain reported intentions, not confirmed BYD capacity or production plans.

The Seagull's reinvention signals that China's entry segment now rewards content over price, and that BYD is following that trend rather than setting it. Launch pricing before year-end will show which trade-off the company has chosen: holding near today's CN¥69,900 entry point means absorbing the cost of the extra hardware to win back volume, while a higher sticker leaves the cheapest slot in BYD's lineup open for Geely to exploit.

What to watch next: the China launch and official pricing before end-2026, monthly registration data against the Xingyuan/EX2, any BYD confirmation on Flash Charging rates, and whether the Hungary-built Racco derivative gets a firm production commitment.