Seal 08 sedan, Sealion 08 SUV confirmed as BYD’s Ocean-series flagships, China launch Q1 2026
BYD has released official teaser images confirming two new flagship models in its Ocean series: the Seal 08 sedan and the Sealion 08 SUV. Both vehicles are scheduled to debut in China in the first quarter of 2026. The announcement formally establishes the Ocean 8 series as the highest-positioned lineup within BYD’s Ocean product family and comes amid a broader rollout of new flagship models across the brand’s parallel vehicle lines.
The confirmation follows BYD’s disclosure at the Ocean Day user event in December 2025, where the company announced plans to introduce an Ocean 8 dual-flagship lineup comprising a sedan and an SUV. BYD has not released pricing, technical specifications, or powertrain details for either model, and the teaser images remain the only officially published materials at this stage.
Based on the teaser visuals, the Seal 08 is positioned as a mid-to-large-size sedan with a coupe-style roofline, while the Sealion 08 appears as a mid-to-large-size SUV with a more upright and angular profile. The images do not reveal interior layouts, drivetrain configurations, or platform details, and BYD has not confirmed whether the two vehicles will share an architecture or powertrain.
The Ocean 8 series operates as a separate flagship line from BYD’s Dynasty series, which recently confirmed its own next-generation flagships, the Tang 9 SUV and Han 9 sedan. Those Dynasty models were teased earlier and are scheduled for official unveiling in the first half of 2026. While both the Ocean 8 and Dynasty 9 series represent BYD’s highest-tier offerings within their respective product families, they remain distinct in branding, design lineage, and market positioning.
BYD’s Ocean lineup traditionally focuses on marine-themed naming and design language and includes models such as the Seal sedan and Sealion SUVs, while the Dynasty lineup centers on historically inspired model names, including Han and Tang. The simultaneous rollout of Ocean 8 and Dynasty 9 flagships indicates that BYD is expanding its top-end product strategy across parallel model families rather than consolidating its flagship positioning into a single series.
At present, BYD has not disclosed whether the Seal 08 and Sealion 08 will share technological features with the Tang 9 and Han 9, including high-voltage electrical architecture, advanced driver-assistance hardware, or multi-powertrain offerings. No regulatory filings or official technical documentation for the Ocean 8 models have been published to date.
