Wang Chuanfu hands over new BYD Seagulls as Xingyuan outsells it nearly 5 to 1

BYD (HKG: 1211) chairman Wang Chuanfu handed second-generation Seagull cars to buyers at an Ocean Network dealership in Shangqiu, Henan province, on November 13, 2026, 24 days after the small electric hatchback went on sale on October 20. The showroom visit comes as Geely's Galaxy Xingyuan, sold abroad as the EX2 or E2, outsold the Seagull nameplate in China by nearly five to one in October.

Seagull retail sales rose to 10,134 units in October from 9,517 in September, a gain of about 6.5% month on month. The Xingyuan grew faster, reaching 50,190 units against 44,275, up about 13.4%. The gap between the two cars widened from 34,758 units in September to 40,056 in October. The Xingyuan led China's small-car segment for the month, while the Seagull ranked fifth, behind BYD's own larger Dolphin at 17,160.

Wang was joined by Zhang Zhuo, general manager of BYD's Ocean Network sales division, who posted about the handover on his verified Weibo account that evening and said the chairman had come to hand over cars to new Seagull owners in person. Wang also signed a copy of The Soul of Engineers, BYD's 30th-anniversary biography, for a dealership employee. He first set out the "Soul of Engineers" idea in November 2024, when he handed a Denza Z9 to Feng Ji, producer of the video game Black Myth: Wukong, at the ceremony marking BYD's 10 millionth new energy vehicle.

The October figure covers the Seagull nameplate as a whole and does not split the two generations, and the new car was on sale for only the last 12 days of the month. Through the first ten months of 2026, the nameplate's retail sales reached 93,738 units, against 360,581 for the Xingyuan, a ratio of roughly 3.8 to 1. November will be the first full calendar month of second-generation sales.

The ranking has flipped in two years. In 2024 the Seagull topped China's small-car segment with 453,593 retail sales, against 52,659 for the Xingyuan, which went on sale on October 9, 2024. In 2025 the order reversed, with the Xingyuan at 465,775 units and the Seagull at 310,956. Geely says the Xingyuan, sold as the E2 or EX2 in more than 30 markets, passed 1 million cumulative global sales about two years after launch.

BYD's answer is a much bigger car. The second-generation Seagull measures 4,205 mm long, 1,810 mm wide and 1,570 mm tall, its wheelbase grows from 2,500 mm to 2,650 mm, and it gains a fifth seat. Drive moves to the rear axle with a multi-link independent rear suspension in place of the old torsion beam, and motor output rises to as much as 95 kW. Cargo space runs from 380 liters to 1,380 liters with the rear seats folded, plus a 94-liter front trunk.

The new Seagull's cargo area expands to 1,380 liters with the rear seats folded, behind a powered tailgate (BYD)

Five versions are priced from 65,900 CNY (c. $9,814) to 99,900 CNY (c. $14,877), or 62,900 to 96,900 CNY (c. $9,367 to $14,430) with a trade-in. The entry Vitality costs 65,900 CNY, followed by the Freedom at 72,900 CNY (c. $10,856), the Ease at 75,900 CNY (c. $11,303), the Flight at 82,900 CNY (c. $12,345) and the Smart at 99,900 CNY. Zhang offered buyers of the flash-charging versions 12 months of free, unlimited flash charging, and the two entry versions come with a 7 kW home charger installed free.

Flash charging is limited to the Ease and above, the three versions with 420 km (261 miles) of CLTC range, while the Vitality and Freedom get 320 km (199 miles). BYD quotes 5 minutes from 10% to 70% and 9 minutes to 97% on its own flash chargers and said it had built 12,165 flash charging stations in China by launch day, with 20,000 planned by the end of 2026. Only the top Smart version adds a roof-mounted lidar for BYD's DiPilot 300 driver assistance, which comes with a BYD pledge to cover accidents caused by its city navigation function for one year.

Flash charging comes only on the Ease, Flight and Smart versions, priced from 75,900 CNY (BYD)

The Seagull is also being squeezed from below. Wuling's Binguo Pro, listed from 56,800 CNY (c. $8,458), sold 15,331 units in October and Chery's QQ3 EV sold 14,041, both ahead of the Seagull, while the Bestune Pony micro car, listed from 37,900 CNY (c. $5,644), sold 17,887. The Xingyuan lists from 64,800 CNY (c. $9,650) to 94,800 CNY (c. $14,117), a band the new Seagull's price range almost exactly overlaps. All three cheaper rivals grew faster than the Seagull from September, when the Binguo Pro sold 14,002, the QQ3 EV 12,688 and the Pony 12,473.

Outside China the Seagull is sold as the Dolphin Mini, Dolphin Surf or Atto 1. BYD as a whole exported 170,194 new energy vehicles in October, while Geely's own global count put the Xingyuan at 71,337 sales for the month, against 50,190 retail sales in China. BYD says the Seagull has passed 1.55 million cumulative sales since its 2023 launch.

The new Seagull now starts just 1,100 CNY (c. $164) above the Xingyuan's entry list price. November retail data, the first full month for the redesigned car, will show whether a bigger, rear-drive Seagull can claw back any of the 40,056-unit monthly gap that its chairman is now confronting in person.

Conversion rate: 1 USD = 6.7152 CNY as of November 13, 2026.