Chinese automaker BYD officially started sales in Japan on Tuesday. The automaker is looking to secure itself as one of the global EV giants as it takes on Tesla in the well-established Japanese market.
BYD’s first Japanese sale centre is in Yokohama, with at least twenty other sales centres opening over the coming weeks and months. Although BYD is new to the Japanese market, they bring something that the EV space has not seen in the country: affordability.
BYD’s Auto Japan President Atuki Tofunkuji has this to say about the official start of sales:
“The Japanese EV market overall is getting bigger, and this is a good time to be entering [the competition]. We hope to provide a rich EV life along with the development of Japan’s EV environment.” (via Nikkei Asia)
The Atto 3 SUV is priced at 4.4 million yen or around $34,000 USD cheaper than Tesla or Nissan EVs. When combined with the available government subsidies, the price is even better. BYD is planning to start deliveries in March, and Japanese clients can test drive the Atto 3 before buying. The goal for BYD is to have over 100 dealerships in the country by the end of 2025.
It will be interesting to see how BYD competes in this market as Mercedes, Tesla, and Toyota all compete in this young market.
