THE ninth model to launch in the UK since the Chinese company arrived on the scene in 2022 is the Sealion 5 DM-i - a plug-in hybrid SUV.

Priced from £29,995 in Design trim or £32,995 for higher specification Design models it has a range of more than 600 miles and can run on electric only power for up to 53 miles.

With a boot capacity of 463 litres, expanding to 1,410 with the rear seats folded it ticks all the boxes as a family-friendly car

On the road it drives in composed fashion for a model that is some 4.7 metres long and is incredibly well insulated from road or traffic noise.

In typical Chinese fashion, it's well equipped and has a well-furnished interior with adaptive cruise control, lane keep assistance, automatic LED headlights, a 12.8-inch touchscreen, vegan leather and rear parking sensors as standard.

There's also an 8.8-inch TFT full LCD instrument panel to keep the driver abreast of what the car is doing.

Using BYD's DM-i plug-in hybrid system it has a total power output of 212ps with a permanent magnet synchronous motor driving the front wheels and a 1.5-litre petrol engine.

It's a tried and tested set up that BYD has used in its other plug-in hybrid models including the Seal DM-i which was the top selling PHEV in the UK in December.

In the Sealion 5 wo battery sizes are available, Comfort models use a 12.96kWh battery - enough for an electric-only range of 38 miles - while the Design's battery increases in capacity to 18.3kWh for a 53.4-mile range.

Recharge times are 4.5 hours to 100 per cent capacity from an AC supply for the lower powered version and six hours for the Design with the charging port located at the rear offside of the car. The petrol filler is on the other side.

CO2 emissions are 62g/km for the Comfort and 48g/km for the Design version with overall fuel economy ranging from 51.4mpg to a theoretical 134.5 to the gallon.

Inside, the Sealion 5 is roomy front and back and decked out in vegan leather which gives it a premium feel.

Top speed is 106mph and acceleration times are 7.7 seconds for the Comfort and 8.1 seconds for the Design.

For peace of mind it shares BYD's six years/93,750-mile warranty with other cars in the range.

The Sealion 5 carries on BYD's reputation of making models that do exactly what they set out in the specifications without any fuss and at a nicely competitive price.

As a company BYD is continuing to expand and has set out its stall with the Yangwang 9 supercar which has claimed the world record top speed record of 308mph and will be bringing its Denza luxury models to the UK later this year.

From a business which kicked off its presence in Britain in the electric bus market to brand which currently stands at number 17 in total British auto sales, it has been a remarkable journey for BYD - and more is sure to come.