BYD Seagull, Deemed Threat To Ford, Headed To Europe

While the U.S. government and American automakers are currently expressing concerns about potential national security and competitive risks posted by cheap Chinese EVs, those same models continue to “invade” Europe, as well as various other parts of the world. One particular model that has garnered more attention than most, however, is the BYD Seagull, mostly because of its incredibly low price tag of less than $10k. In fact, Ford CEO recently called out that particular model as a bigger threat to the company’s business than proposed zero-emissions mandates, in fact.

Now, Ford has a good reason to be concerned about the BYD Seagull outside of just the Chinese automotive market, as that same EV is now officially headed to Europe, according to Bloomberg. The small hatchback is slated to launch in that region next year, though it won’t be quite as cheap as it is in China – with tariffs factored in, the Seagull is expected to retail for around €20,000, or roughly $21,500 USD, in fact. Regardless, that’s still cheaper than many of its rivals – in some cases, several thousands less – which obviously has Ford a bit concerned.

“We are looking very closely at this model and others coming from Chinese EV makers,” said Martin Sander, head of Ford’s Model e Europe EV business. “Of course, we are nervous when new competition is coming to the market.”

Now that Ford has abandoned its plans to go all-electric across its passenger vehicle lineup in Europe by 2030, there’s a bit of uncertainty revolving around its EV plans in that region, at least beyond the Ford Explorer EV and another yet-to-be-revealed model riding on Volkswagen’s MEB platform. Sander recently admitted that small cars could be back in play, and is evaluating a low-cost platform being developed for the U.S. market. However, with the Biden Administration recently quadrupling tariffs on Chinese EVs, it’s unlikely that we’ll see them being sold in America any time soon – at least not with a dirt cheap price tag.

We’ll have more on the BYD Seagull and all of Ford’s competition soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.