One of the largest Chinese car brands in the world, BYD, will take back control of local operations from EVDirect as it aims to shoot up the sales charts.
Chinese car brand BYD has fully committed to the Australian market and will import and distribute its own vehicles from July rather than going through third-party EVDirect.
The move will give BYD more direct control over its product line-up, which currently includes the Atto 3, Seal, Sealion 6, Sealion 7, Dolphin, and Shark, with more expected in showrooms soon.
The business case for take over importation and sales of all BYD models clearly stacked up for head office in China, and with Denza coming, it would also make sense for Yangwang – and also the mooted Fangchengbao nameplate – to also arrive to take advantage of new efficiencies.
"This transition is consistent with BYD’s continued global reach into key strategic markets and will strengthen the brand’s capabilities in Australia by leveraging BYD’s global resourcing and expertise," a statement from Eagers Automotive, who looks after BYD’s local retail network, said.
After the changeover, BYD will still retain its retail footprint, with some 91 experience and service centres (excluding mycar locations) around Australia, as the brand enters a new agreement with one of the largest dealer groups in the country, Eagers Automotive.
EVDirect will not be cut out completely either, with the company and Eagers Automotive having formed a joint-venture, called EV Dealer Group Pty Limited, that will continue to oversee BYD outlets.
The joint venture between Eagers Automotive and EVDirect is 80 and 20 per cent, respectively.
Under Eagers, it is expected that BYD’s retail footprint will significantly expand as the brand’s operations have been growing steadily for a number of years with the view to become one of the top-selling brands in Australia.
In a release by Eagers Automotive, the company said it would "apply to increase its BYD retail network to support BYD’s ambitions for significant volume growth" with the expansion "subject to BYD approvals".
Early last year, BYD – or at least EVDirect – stated it is looking to double its sales in 2024 and 2025, taking it to around 50,000 units, which would make it a Top 10 brand ahead of the likes of Nissan and Isuzu Ute.
To the end of April this year, BYD has sold 11,974 units, putting it on track for a circa-36,000 sales tally – or around 30 per cent off target – by 2026.
It is understood the move to Australian BYD operations in-house has been a long time coming as the local market is one of the most successful for the brand outside its home.
Last year, BYD went on a hiring spree, taking on an aftersales manager, public relations, and product planners in a bid to strengthen its back-end operations before taking on distributorship.
EVDirect, incoming EVDealer Group, Executive Chairman Luke Todd said the company has worked hard to build BYD brand in Australia.
"As a team, we are extremely proud of what's been achieved and even more excited by the future as our team reposition into a new role that will help catapult the BYD brand further, right across Australia," Todd said.
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.
