BYD's Japanese division said on Monday it would start selling its first battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the country early next year as the world's largest EV maker further steps up its plan to either sell or make its cars available across major markets.
China's BYD, in which Berkshire Hathaway owns a stake, said it will roll out an electric sports utility vehicle, ATTO 3, in Japan starting January 31 203. The car has a cruising distance of 485km and will cost 4.4-million yen (roughly R565,741).
In comparison, Nissan's electric Leaf standard model has a cruising range of 322km and costs about 3.7-million yen (roughly R475,769).
BYD's Japan chapter is planning to introduce two more models by the end of 2023 and more than 100 dealerships in Japan by the end of 2025, the company said.
Petrol-electric hybrid models remain more popular than BEVs in Japan. However, the share of the battery-driven vehicles is expected to grow, partly due to non-Japanese automakers like BYD and Volkswagen making their way into the market.
BYD's Japan division is planning to set up tentative retailers starting late January in 22 cities but is eager to cover all 47 prefectures, said Atsuki Tofukuji, BYD Auto Japan CEO.
"We hope we can make our presence felt little by little as we work toward carbon neutrality and as our customers demand a variety of choices," he said.
Japanese automakers have recently been criticised by activists and green investors who slam them for not embracing battery electric vehicles fast enough.
Toyota began selling its first mass-produced fully electric vehicle bZ4X in May as lease-only in its domestic market, charging 106,700 yen (roughly R13,720) per month for the first four years in a 10-year contract. However, it was forced to recall less than two months later due to safety concerns. It began producing again in October.
Just a year into its $38BN (roughly R656,733,100,000) EV plan, Toyota is already considering starting again to better compete in a market growing beyond the automaker's projections, Reuters reported in October.
China’s BYD to start selling EVs in Japan by early 2023
Image: Chesnot/Getty Images
BYD's Japanese division said on Monday it would start selling its first battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the country early next year as the world's largest EV maker further steps up its plan to either sell or make its cars available across major markets.
China's BYD, in which Berkshire Hathaway owns a stake, said it will roll out an electric sports utility vehicle, ATTO 3, in Japan starting January 31 203. The car has a cruising distance of 485km and will cost 4.4-million yen (roughly R565,741).
In comparison, Nissan's electric Leaf standard model has a cruising range of 322km and costs about 3.7-million yen (roughly R475,769).
BYD's Japan chapter is planning to introduce two more models by the end of 2023 and more than 100 dealerships in Japan by the end of 2025, the company said.
Petrol-electric hybrid models remain more popular than BEVs in Japan. However, the share of the battery-driven vehicles is expected to grow, partly due to non-Japanese automakers like BYD and Volkswagen making their way into the market.
BYD's Japan division is planning to set up tentative retailers starting late January in 22 cities but is eager to cover all 47 prefectures, said Atsuki Tofukuji, BYD Auto Japan CEO.
"We hope we can make our presence felt little by little as we work toward carbon neutrality and as our customers demand a variety of choices," he said.
Japanese automakers have recently been criticised by activists and green investors who slam them for not embracing battery electric vehicles fast enough.
Toyota began selling its first mass-produced fully electric vehicle bZ4X in May as lease-only in its domestic market, charging 106,700 yen (roughly R13,720) per month for the first four years in a 10-year contract. However, it was forced to recall less than two months later due to safety concerns. It began producing again in October.
Just a year into its $38BN (roughly R656,733,100,000) EV plan, Toyota is already considering starting again to better compete in a market growing beyond the automaker's projections, Reuters reported in October.
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