They may have been something of a novelty in workshops and on the street but one Chinese car maker is hoping their brand will become a household name in a matter of only a few years.
Launched last year with smaller and more moderately priced electric cars, Chinese brand BYD Is aiming to outsell Toyota in Australia.
The ambitious sales model will establish 30 retail outlets within the next 18 months across Australia in the hope of entering the top five car sellers within the next few years.
BYD sells three EVs; Atto 3 SUV, Dolphin hatchback, and the Seal sports car in Australia.
While BYD’s electric models were second to Tesla in the EV’s sold in Australia, the entire new sales of EVs now amount to 7.2 percent of all vehicles sold in 2023 and Tesla dominates this market, supplying more than 60 per cent of the EVs sold.
The top five best selling vehicles are mostly traditional ICE vehicles and utes including Toyota’s traditional HiLux. Given Toyota sold 230,000 cars in 2022 alone and BYD has so far notched up slightly more than 10,000 sales in the months since launching, there is a way for BYD way to go until it seizes the top spot.
BYD’s Asia Pacific general manager Liu Xueliang detailed the expansion strategy at a launch on Monday that includes new brands in the next few years and dedicated service centres at the sites for the growing number of BYD vehicles.
It was announced a Sydney service centre would also serve as a panel repair shop and offer retraining for mechanics looking to work with electric vehicles.
“The expansion plans have been under discussion for many months and confirmed on the back of the recent successful launches of the BYD Dolphin and Seal,” BYD Australia told the media.
“The expansion plans will underpin the lofty goals of BYD to be a top five brand in Australia with aspirations of reaching the number one spot.”
BYD, or Build your Dreams as it has become known, is a relatively newcomer to the automotive industry with its first petrol cars produced in 2005 but the Chinese conglomerate company has been a leader in battery manufacturing for almost three decades and is now the largest plug-in vehicle manufacturer in the world.