ELECTRIC vehicle giant BYD is continuing its push into Britain with the arrival of the Seal performance-oriented saloon.

Due for release before the end of 2023, the Seal joins the Chinese company's two other models currently on sale in the UK, the Atto 3 SUV and the smaller Dolphin hatchback.

With prices likely to start below the £45,000 mark, BYD is targeting the likes of the Tesla Model 3 and the Hyundai Ioniq 6 with its newcomer.

The Seal is a sleekly-styled coupe-like saloon that will be available with two powertrain options - a single motor Design model and a more powerful all-wheel-driver Excellence version that develops 530ps and a has a brisk 0 to 62mph acceleration time of 3.2 seconds.

Both versions use an 82.5 kWh battery and in Design specification it produces 313ps with an acceleration time of 5.9 seconds.

Full charge range is said to be 354 miles for the Seal Design and 323 miles for the Excellence. Both have a top speed of 112mph.

Like the Atto 3 and the Dolphin, the Seal sits on BYD's specialist EV e-Platform 3 but comes with what BYD calls Cell-to-Body technology with the battery integrated into the vehicle structure.

BYD says the set-up - in which the floor of the car is the top of the battery - makes the car stiffer and reduces body height by around 15mm while allowing more cabin space.

As such, the Seal is a roomy five-seater with a 400 litre boot and 53 litres of space in a frunk under the bonnet.

Recharging to 80 per cent can be done in 26 minutes from a fast charger.

All versions of the Seal are fitted with a heat pump for added efficiency in cold weather and a V2L system which enables the car to power external electrical devices.

The Seal is the first BYD model with independent suspension and the AWD Excellence version is also fitted with variable dampers and a new traction control system to aid handling.

Both Design and Excellence cars have four drive modes for normal, eco, sport and snow conditions.

The Seal measures 4.8 metres in length but is just 1.46 metres high with a 2.92 metre wheelbase

As with the Atto 3, the Seal has a 15.6 inch rotatable display screen equipped with intelligent voice control function that can be activated with the voice command "Hey BYD", and seamless smartphone integration via Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

It also features a 10.25-inch full instrument LCD panel and a full range of safety systems as well as a large panoramic sunroof.

Deliveries are slated to start in November and all versions come with a six year warranty with eight years protection for the battery and electric motor.