Model expansion could see BYD Australia offering plug-in hybrid versions of existing EVs as the Chinese brand looks to shoot up in sales.
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BYD Australia’s product range will expand to 10 models in the coming months, but the Chinese brand is promising even more to come as it looks to climb the sales charts.
Speaking to Drive, BYD Australia boss Stephen Collins said the local division has the full support of the Chinese brand’s head office with picking and choosing appropriate models to roll out to the local market.
“I think everything's on the table, and we've got enormous support in China, so we're looking at everything and not everything's going to be suitable,” Collins said.
“There's nothing that's off the table.
“And what I really loved, a week or two after I joined, the [global] Chairman came to Australia with his entire senior team.
“And we sat in this office basically in front of a white board, saying: ‘how are we going? What's the opportunity? What can we bring to the markets?’
“I just found that incredibly unique, I don't think you'd see any other Chairman doing that stuff.”
However, with ambitions to become a Top Three player by the end of next year, BYD Australia – including its Denza sub-brand with off-road-focused B5 and B8 SUV models – has all major segments covered.
An easy way for BYD to broaden is appeal is to expand its powertrain offerings in the same segments, with its current strategy is split between plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) – with the Sealion 5, Sealion 6, Sealion 8, and Shark 6 representing the former, and the Atto 1, Atto 2, Atto 3, Seal, Dolphin, and Sealion 7 options in the latter.
An all-electric version of the Sealion 5, Sealion 6, and Seal are available overseas, while BYD UK also fields the Seal 6 plug-in hybrid sedan and wagon.
According to Collins, there is “direct feedback … on what products we can make a success here” from China, strengthening trust in the local market’s ability to call the shots.
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Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
