Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD is all prepared to mark its entry into Japan’s passenger car market. As previously reported, the company will start selling battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in Japan from January 2023 which will include Atto 3, Seal and Dolphin models.
Related: BYD to Start Selling Electric Vehicles in Japan
BYD stands for ‘Build Your Dreams’ having made its debut from less than 30 people in 1995 as a cell phone battery manufacturer and within just 8 years it became the second largest rechargeable battery producer in the world by 2003, the same year when it decided to begin vehicle production.
BYD made headlines when in October 2008, US billionaire, business magnate, investor, and philanthropist, Warren Buffett who is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway invested $230 million for 10% of BYD. In less than one year, the investment reaped over 500% return. Currently, batteries and BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) form a large part of BYD’s business.
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BYD recently surpassed Tesla to become the largest EV manufacturer in the world with over 641,000 vehicles sold in the first half of 2022. It is also the world’s first and yet the only automaker to have ditched the production of internal combustion engine cars.
While BYD already has a strong base within China, the EV manufacturer has been on an expansion spree in recent times. BYD vehicles are available in countries like Bahrain, Dominican Republic, Ukraine, Moldova, Brazil, Hungary, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, Costa Rica, Thailand and Colombia and is all set to begin selling cars in Australia & the Netherlands.
Related: BYD Notches Record Profit as Sales Surge in First Half of 2022
In addition, BYD sold the e6 electric car and its electric bus as fleet vehicles in the US market. BYD also retails Energy Storage Solutions, and Solar energy solutions in America. It has even established bus manufacturing facilities in California, Ontario, and Kumarom in Hungary.
Coming back to the vehicles BYD will launch in Japan, the Seal electric sedan which is considered a rival of Tesla Model 3, is based on the BYD e-Platform 3.0 featuring technologies like CTB (cell-to-body) battery tech while the Blade battery forms the floorboard of the car, therefore making the structure more rigid resulting in improved handling. Seal is available in 4 variants with a range of up to 650 km in a single charge. The top-spec variant features an AWD drivetrain with a total output of 390kW while 0-100km/h sprint time takes just 3.8 seconds.
Related: BYD Becomes the Third Most Valuable Automaker Globally
The BYD Dolphin is an electric subcompact hatchback that is also built on the same e-Platform 3.0 as the Seal. It looks properly modern and is available in four different drivetrains with top-spec variant boasting a range of 405 km. The Atto 3 is an electric SUV that also utilizes Blade battery technology just like the Dolphin and Seal. The top-spec variant of the BYD Atto 3 boasts a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 7.3 seconds with a drive range of around 420 km per charge.
Atto 3 will be the first model to be launched in Japan with its arrival slated for January 2023. The Dolphin will be the second one to arrive in Japan in mid-2023 while the Seal sedan will arrive towards the second half of the year. To run the business operations in Japan, BYD’s subsidiary BYD Auto Japan was launched on July 04, 2022. A dealership network will be set up and BYD Auto Japan will provide the sales and after-sales service for the brand.
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
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