Can I buy a BYD in the UK? BYD plans to become the UK’s biggest car brand in five years. Just two years after its launch, BYD has outsold established brands such as Citroen, Dacia and Suzuki.
In the first quarter of this year, BYD delivered 9,271 cars in the UK, which is already more than the total sales for the whole year of 2024. Steve Beattie, BYD’s UK sales and marketing director, believes that the brand still has huge room for growth.
“BYD’s goal is to become the world’s largest automaker, but if we don’t occupy the first place in many countries, we can’t achieve the goal of the world’s first place. Therefore, our goal is to become the leader in these countries.”
He believes that BYD’s strategic foundation has been established: “The first is to increase brand awareness; we need to continue to grow the brand and expand the retail network.”
The second element is to quickly expand the product line. BYD launched the Atto 3 crossover locally in March 2023, and quickly added the Seal sedan, which competes with Tesla Model 3, and the Dolphin hatchback, which competes with Volkswagen ID 3.
In the past year, BYD also launched the only plug-in hybrid model Seal U and Sealion7 to compete with Tesla Model Y in the local market.
I Note: The above models correspond to Yuan PLUS, Seal, Dolphin, Song PLUS DM-i, and Sea Lion 07 EV, respectively.
Beatty specifically mentioned that Dolphin and Seal U are particularly popular in the retail market, and Dolphin is almost sold out.
He expects BYD’s retail and fleet sales to grow significantly this year with the release of the Atto 2 small crossover, the Dolphin Surf city car (corresponding to Yuan UP and Seagull, respectively), and a possible third new model.
Beatty said that Dolphin Surf will become BYD’s smallest and most competitive model, which will “help us climb new heights.”
He explained: “Almost no car manufacturers make A-segment cars nowadays. Many brands have given up on this market because A-segment cars are difficult to bring to market due to their high costs and low profits. It is very exciting for me to bring this car from China because it greatly lowers the entry barrier for BYD. I believe it can attract more young consumers.”
Can I buy BYD in the UK? BYD has established official dealers in the UK and plans to add more dealers in the future to expand its market coverage. Currently, BYD dealers in the UK are spread across many cities, including London, Manchester and Birmingham.
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