BYD wants to be one of the best selling brands in Australia

Chinese electric car company BYD ready for races in Australia like second largest electric car seller behind Tesla, but its aspirations are much broader.

According to the company’s Australian distributor, the plan is to reach 50,000 vehicle annual sales here over the next few years, supported by an expansion of the EV lineup – including sedans and sports cars.

This equates to about 5% market share which, based on sales figures for 2022, would put BYD in the top 10 list of brands alongside Chinese automaker MG (49,582) and above it. more famous brands such as Subaru, Volkswagen and Nissan.

“Our aspiration is, within the next few years, to reach 50,000 units, which is 5% of the market. And you can expect a few more from us in 2024,” said Mark Harland, chief executive officer of EVDirect, BYD’s local distributor and sales with the Eagers dealer group.

“We don’t necessarily see Tesla as our direct competitor, although from an electric vehicle standpoint they have set the standard,” Harland added. “We consider BYD to be the main competitor to Toyota, Kia and other vehicles. We want BYD to be on those buyers’ shopping lists.”

Mr. Harland, a longtime chief executive officer of General Motors in Shanghai and of Holden, said BYD’s speed of movement was something he had never seen “in more than 25 years of working in the auto industry”.

While we tend to fulfill such bold sales aspirations with a dump truck-sized pinch of salt – EVDirect is no stranger to making huge claims – the company is certainly active in the Australian market, which offers a certain degree of reliability.

The first BYD vehicle to be sold at a suitable scale in Australia is the Atto 3 SUV, which has achieved 4664 deliveries this year, representing a 14.5% share of the electric vehicle market. It’s even selling better Tesla Model 3 in the May.

With the 10,000th Australian market Atto 3 Now on board, the company is planning to launch a smaller and cheaper EV hatchback by the end of June called the BYD Dolphin – expected to be the cheapest electric car on sale here, even. potentially less than $40,000.

The next cab in the proverbial ranking must be the now long overdue BYD Seal sports sedan to compete with the Model 3, pole star 2And Hyundai Ioniq6.

Mr. Harland added: “The plans are for us to have Seal in the country before the end of the calendar year. “I want some on the ground, it’s just a matter of compliance and ADR and ticking all the boxes.

“But we do produce right-hand drive and left-hand drive [up and running].”

New player EVDirect has learned the hard way to ensure it meets all the necessary Australian Design Rules, with red tape making it blush after having problems with the Atto 3 . child seat attachment immediately after market launch.

In addition, the brand has a wide range of electric vehicles in other segments to choose from, with vehicles like the upcoming new-generation BYD Tang full-size SUV and the BYD Han full-size sedan already available. ready to update.

The other key addition to the BYD lineup, and an obvious key to its mass production aspirations, is its plan to launch a plug-in and two-chamber hybrid vehicle – developed with Australia in mind. (and thus RHD) from the beginning of the program year.

“There’s no commitment on the pickup, but let’s just say it’s definitely on the roadmap. And BYD moves quickly,” said Mr. Harland.

“Do we do a plug-in hybrid or a dual engine? [EV]or maybe there is an option of both for those who need more range? None of that is resolved, those are the discussions going on right now.

The company had previously said the ute would arrive in Australia in 2024.

This isn’t a pipe dream, as the unrevealed BYD ute was in fact recently photographed both inside and out, meaning it’s about to hit the market in China, where it’s sold. Loads are exploding thanks to regulatory changes.

China will lead Australia’s nascent electric carriage market unless Toyota, Ford, Isuzu and the other usual suspects wriggle around. BYD electric ute will compete with similar products LDV eT60plus input JAC T9 EV and (likely) Radar RD6 local from 2024-25.

One aspect of all of this that will keep legacy OEMs on their toes is how EVDirect can rely on BYD factories to rapidly scale production due to the degree of vertical integration and navigate its way around issues like port congestion.

BYD makes its own chips and batteries, meaning they are less affected by global supply chain constraints than OEMs that rely more heavily on tier 1 suppliers.

On the transportation front, the company pivoted quickly to get the finished Atto 3s off the production line. straight into sealed shipping containerthus avoiding leaving your car sitting around in a dump and picking up bugs and seeds like so many other vehicles.

“We are not short of batteries, we are not short of chips.

BYD is not the first Chinese brand to find innovative ways to solve shipping problems, with MG recently chartering its own ship to deliver over 3000 SUVs and hatchbacks to Port Kembla instead of sharing space with other brands.

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