BYD to more than double Australian showroom, service network by end of 2025
BYD says it plans to operate up to 100 dealerships and service centre locations by 2025 – more than double its current footprint – as it prepares a wave of new plug-in hybrid and electric cars.
Chinese car giant BYD has announced plans to have up to 100 showrooms and service centres in Australia – about four times as many as Tesla – by the end of next year.
Luke Todd, managing director of BYD's Australian distributor EVDirect, has previously declared an ambitious target to dethrone Toyota as the top-selling car brand locally by 2030 – as it rolls out a range of new models, including a plug-in hybrid ute.
BYD Australia says it intends to expand its current network of 27 showrooms and 15 in-house service centres to 100 locations by the end of 2025 – which would make for a larger footprint than Honda, GWM, and BMW.
The Chinese car maker's website shows a further 30 service locations operated by Mycar – formerly Kmart Tyre and Auto – however BYD executives told Drive Mycar locations are not included in the 100-site total.
BYD founder, chairman, and president Wang Chuanfu was in Melbourne last week to preview the brand's new "flagship" showroom in Melbourne – following similar locations in Sydney and Brisbane – due to open to the public in May 2024.
General manager of BYD Asia-Pacific, Liu Xueliang, told media the dealership in Cremorne – about 4km from Melbourne's CBD – is "just the beginning" of the brand's plans locally.
"At BYD, we’ll continue to bring our innovative technology and projects to the Australian market," he said last week.
“This week we’ll have our 20,000th BYD delivery here, so we’re very glad to make another 20,000 good friends in Australia.”
Local BYD distributor EVDirect partnered with Australian dealership group Eagers in 2022 to open an initial network of showrooms – in addition to a main store near Sydney's CBD.
The brand currently operates in every state and territory in Australia except for the Northern Territory.
Due to join the BYD Atto 3, Seal and Dolphin electric cars next month is the Seal U, the brand's first plug-in hybrid in Australia, and a rival for the Toyota RAV4-sized Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
Luke Todd, managing director and executive chairman of EVDirect told Drive the Seal U will – for now – be the largest car sold by the Chinese giant in Australia.
BYD in China sells the Yangwang U8 – a full-size off-road luxury SUV pitched at Range Rover – which Mr Todd said is under consideration, and "definitely something that we are talking about on a regular basis".
"I'm talking on a regular basis about an investment to bring that to the country, but it's a very small segment as well," the executive said.
"We want to see more Australians be able to afford [electric vehicles] and the Yangwang retails for roughly $AU220,000 in China."
BYD is due to follow the Seal U in the second half of 2024 with a ute powered by the company's plug-in hybrid technology, badged DM-i (dual-motor intelligence) technology.
Teaser images of the ute – wrapped in blue and orange camouflage – were published last week.
While the brand has yet to confirm specifications, overseas reports claim it may feature a turbocharged 1.5-litre engine coupled to two electric motors which will reportedly produce 365kW combined.
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