BYD fits LiDAR on Seagull, price €8,700

BYD has pushed LiDAR further down the price ladder in China by offering it on the 2026 Seagull, its smallest mass-market electric hatchback. The model went on sale in China on May 11, with a base price of 69,900 yuan and an optional LiDAR-based driver-assistance package that lifts two trims to 90,900 yuan and 97,900 yuan. (cnevpost.com) The Seagull is sold overseas under other names, including Dolphin Surf in Europe. Motor16 reported on May 19 that the updated Seagull showed how advanced driver-assistance hardware was moving into cheaper urban EVs. (byd.com) The move puts a roof-mounted LiDAR sensor into a segment usually defined by low cost and short-distance city use. BYD said the optional package uses its God’s Eye B advanced driver-assistance system and is available on the 305 km Freedom Edition and 405 km Flying Edition. CnEVPost, citing BYD’s launch, said the package brings the entry point for LiDAR-equipped smart-driving hardware below 100,000 yuan. ### How cheap is the LiDAR-equipped version? The lowest-priced Seagull starts at 69,900 yuan, or about $10,290, in China. The first LiDAR-equipped version starts at 90,900 yuan, while the higher LiDAR-equipped trim starts at 97,900 yuan, according to CnEVPost’s report on BYD’s launch. (cnevpost.com) Motor16 described the car in euro terms at about 8,700 euros, but the verified China launch pricing available from BYD-linked reporting is in yuan and sits above that level once LiDAR is added. The price gap matters because BYD did not reserve the sensor for a premium sedan or SUV. (cnevpost.com) The Seagull is a small A00-class EV, and CnEVPost said the launch marked the first time LiDAR had entered that mini-EV segment in China. ### What exactly does BYD say the system can do? BYD said the God’s Eye B system supports city navigation-assist functions. According to CnEVPost’s summary of the launch, the car can recognize traffic lights, read countdown timers and handle conditions including roundabouts and detours. (cnevpost.com) The hardware is optional rather than standard across the range. BYD kept the rest of the Seagull’s basic formula intact: a 55 kW motor, battery options of 30.08 kWh and 38.88 kWh, and CLTC range claims of 305 km and 405 km depending on version. (cnevpost.com) ### Is this the same car Europeans know as the Dolphin Surf? BYD introduced the Dolphin Surf to Europe on May 21, 2025, describing it as its most accessible European model at the time. BYD’s European release said the car was the company’s eighth pure-electric model launched in Europe in less than three years. (cnevpost.com) The European car is related to the Chinese Seagull but not identical. CarNewsChina reported that the Dolphin Surf is 3,990 mm long, against 3,780 mm for the Chinese Seagull, while keeping the same 2,500 mm wheelbase. (cnevpost.com) The European lineup also carried different power, battery and range figures, starting at 19,990 euros. ### Does the 8,700-euro figure apply in Europe? The 19,990-euro European starting price means the 8,700-euro figure cited by Motor16 refers to China-market pricing, not to the Dolphin Surf sold in Europe. (byd.com) BYD’s Europe release did not say the Dolphin Surf would get the same LiDAR package, and the available Europe launch material reviewed here does not list a LiDAR-equipped trim. Motor16 also did not report fresh European tariff details in the material summarized in the briefing. The clearest next marker is whether BYD updates the Dolphin Surf specification sheet in Europe to add the same God’s Eye B hardware that is now optional on the Seagull in China. (carnewschina.com) (byd.com)