BYD model names in Europe: which Chinese name goes with which badge

Ordering a part for a BYD starts with a translation problem, not a catalogue problem. The car in your workshop carries a European badge such as Seal U or Dolphin Surf. The warehouse holding the stock files the same vehicle under its Chinese name, and a second supplier may quote it under the name used in Australia or Latin America. Until those names are tied to one physical car, every part number discussed afterwards rests on an assumption. This page gives the working table and states plainly what our own OE index can and cannot confirm from a badge alone.

1. Why the model name is a procurement problem

For most European brands the tailgate badge and the catalogue name are the same characters. For BYD they frequently are not.

The practical consequence appears at three points in one order.

• At the enquiry. The workshop writes "Seal U" on the request; the counter in China searches Song Plus. If nobody bridges the two names, the request comes back unanswered.
• At the quotation. A price is returned against a reference picked by name rather than by number. The name was right; the reference behind it was one of several.
• At goods-in. The box arrives, the part looks plausible, and the difference only shows on the ramp — the expensive failure, because the vehicle is already stripped.

None of this is a naming curiosity. It is the reason we ask for the VIN and a photograph of the tailgate badge before we quote.

2. The working table: European badge ↔ Chinese name ↔ body type

The pairs below follow the export designations listed on this page. They are market-facing names, not a definition published by BYD, and a single vehicle can carry more than one of them depending on where it was sold.

Two things deserve emphasis. The Chinese name is the one the supply chain is organised around, so it is the name that unlocks stock — not the name on the tailgate. And the same column contains names that look like a family but describe different cars; that is handled on our page about nameplate traps.

3. Where the mismatch actually costs money

The naming gap is widest for the parts that are shared across a platform. Suspension arms, wheel hubs, dampers, sensors and service filters are the categories a workshop orders most often, and they are precisely the categories where the catalogue holds several references under one part name.

In our own index the picture is consistent:

Read that table as a warning rather than a catalogue: every row is a case where a correct model name still leaves more than one possible reference. The published index does not carry model-year fitment, so we do not infer it — application is confirmed per enquiry against the OE number and the VIN.

The reverse direction fails for the same reason: asking for "a Seal U suspension arm" without a number produces a guess, because the record behind that request is filed under Song Plus and holds more than one arm.

4. A method that survives the translation

The sequence that works in practice is short.

1. Photograph the tailgate badge. The badge is the only field evidence of how the car was designated in the market it was delivered to.
2. Take the VIN from the windscreen aperture or the registration document. The VIN carries the model, powertrain, build year and plant; the badge carries a marketing name.
3. Map the badge to the Chinese name using the table above, so that the enquiry can be understood on both sides.
4. Quote the old part number if the part is off the car, or send a photograph of its label. The number ends the discussion that the name opened.
5. State the side and position, and whether the part carries a sensor. That removes most remaining ambiguity.

Send those items together and the enquiry can be answered on the first pass. We confirm, part number by part number, whether we can supply it. Where the number is missing, send us a photo of the label and we will check whether we can source it.

For buyers consolidating several vehicles: €50 per shipment, with guide prices shown on the parts pages and trade and volume pricing on request. Typical dispatch time is confirmed on the quotation; transit depends on the shipping method you choose.

Short answers

Why does my supplier not recognise the name on the tailgate?

Because the European badge and the Chinese model name are different designations for the same vehicle. The stock is filed under the Chinese name — Seal U is stocked as Song Plus, Dolphin Surf as Seagull. Quote both and the enquiry resolves.

Is a Seal U the same car as a Sealion 6?

The same vehicle is badged Seal U in Europe and Sealion 6 in Australia. It is not a Seal U derivative; it is a different market name for one car. Song Plus is the name used in China.

Is Seal 07 a newer version of the Seal?

No. In the export designations listed here, Seal, Seal U, Seal 6 DM-i, Seal 07 and Sealion 7 are separate vehicles. They are not model years of one another, and treating them as a range leads to the wrong part.

Can you tell me which reference fits my car from the model name alone?

No. The published index does not carry model-year fitment, and one part name can hold several references — our Front Wheel Suspension Arm group alone holds ten. Application is confirmed per enquiry against the OE number and the VIN.

What is the minimum I should send with an enquiry?

The VIN and a photograph of the tailgate badge. Add the old part number or a label photograph, the side and the position, and whether the part carries a sensor. That combination lets us quote without a second round of questions.

Do you cover Denza and fleet models?

Denza D9 and e6 appear in the designations above. Send the VIN; coverage is confirmed per enquiry against the OE number.

Where this comes from.

The model pairings above follow the export designations listed on this page, recorded as "sold in Europe as" and "marketed as", and are not a naming definition published by BYD. The references quoted are taken from GNSGO's own parts index for BYD vehicles — the same list at BYD-compatible parts — OE reference index. Application is confirmed per enquiry against the OE number and the VIN; the published index does not carry model-year fitment, so we do not infer it here. We have not drawn on BYD's copyrighted workshop documentation, and we do not reproduce any manual or wiring-diagram pages. Where our own data is incomplete, we say so rather than filling the gap with a plausible answer.

This page is general information only.

It is not a repair instruction, not a diagnosis of a particular vehicle, and not a substitute for professional advice. Restraint-system and high-voltage parts are outside the scope of this page. Work on high-voltage systems, restraint systems and structural repairs belongs with technicians qualified for it. Confirm the application against the VIN before ordering. Have any work carried out by a suitably qualified workshop.