WE all thought BYD was the Chinese Tesla.
Apparently not.
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Each BYD that drive on our roads today (we already have three models) is 100 percent electric.
But this fourth IS NOT.
It is a plug-in hybrid, the petrol/electric combo that is becoming increasingly popular among drivers because it makes more sense.
Float around your zip code all week on battery power and head to the coast at the weekend with the petrol engine as backup.
Best of both worlds.
As you would expect from the ChineseSeal U is priced to sell.
It costs £34k.
The same price as a mid-range SUV with a regular petrol engine – and undercutting plug-in hybrids Ford And Opel by at least £6k.
Once again, as you would expect from the Chinese, Seal U is trickling in technology.
And chrome.
All versions get a crowd-friendly rotating touchscreen, head-up display, 360-degree cameras and rhythm-reactive mood lighting that turns the place into a mobile disco at night.
Where you are the DJ.
There is also a karaoke app and microphones.
Only available in China for now, although one German buyer did find a set of microphones in his engine accidentally.
Build quality is good.
It is real.
There is plenty of space in all directions.
The large glass sliding roof is standard.
The driving mode controller is jewel-like.
It's a nice place to be.
Progression is smooth and feels very EV-like
So what is it like to drive?
Good and not so good.
The £34,000 Seal U pictured here combines a 1.5-litre non-turbo petrol engine with an 18kWh battery.
Progression is smooth, quiet and easy and feels very EV-like.
That's the good thing.
The petrol engine's main job is to charge the battery, but it also drives the front wheels under hard acceleration.
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You can travel up to 80 kilometers in EV mode and 900 kilometers on a tank.
Another version with a larger battery goes further on electric power, up to 125 kilometers.
The most expensive Seal U, priced at £38,995, uses a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and has all-wheel drive.
But unless you live in a pinch, save your money.
Now for the not so good part.
The suspension.
If you're not careful, you might end up drinking your coffee, as this car feels too soft and floaty for my taste and there's too much body roll in corners.
The Chinese will read this and probably take care of it before you reach Mystic Meg.
I have said Tesla right at the beginning, but the truth is that BYD (Build Your Dreams) is bigger.
It makes cars, trucks, buses, vans and pickup trucks – and millions of them.
In just over a year, BYD has launched the Atto 3, Dolphin and Seal saloon.
Seal U lands in September.
Then we get Sea Lion, an electric SUV coupe, followed by more plug-in hybrids next year and a cheap urban EV called Seagull.
China in your hands.