BYD aiming to be a top three player in Australia

BYD wants to be a top three car brand in Australia by the end of 2026, with the Chinese brand’s local COO telling carsales he’d be “disappointed” if it didn’t get there.

An onslaught of new models – including two new BEVs, two PHEVs and cab-chassis Shark 6s – and a “serious” campaign to target fleet sales will be key to BYD Australia’s lofty sales ambitions.

Speaking with carsales, BYD Australia COO Stephen Collins said the brand was on an upward trajectory.

“We’re happy with that position [currently 8th in market for YTD sales]. When we look at where the brand was 12 months ago – this time last year – we were 16th in the market,” he said.

Indeed, BYD sales have skyrocketed in Oz, up almost 150 per cent year-on-year as of September in a month which saw the Sealion 7 electric SUV hit sixth spot, with 1887 sold.

“I think we’ll finish seventh or eighth this year by the time December comes around and is done. So yeah, we’re certainly happy with that trajectory and progress,” Collins said.

“We’re far from topping out. We’ve certainly got further aspirations to grow into next year and I think ultimately, if we weren’t close to the top three by the end of next year, I think I’d be a bit disappointed.

“Given our model line-up, expansion of our dealer network and a whole host of other work we’re doing to keep growing.”

Collins added that ramping up BYD’s appeal to fleet buyers was another major target.

“We are starting to get a lot more serious about fleet business; we know there’s opportunities in different variants of Shark for fleet, which are a bit more fit for purpose.

“We’re investigating all of those options.”

With the Atto 1 and Atto 2 EVs and the Sealion 5 and Sealion 8 plug-in hybrids all inbound imminently, it’s the latter than Collins expects to be the biggest seller of the four.

“[Shark 6 and Sealion 7] will continue as really core to our overall volume. We think Sealion 8, as real genuine first seven-seater for us, we think that will also be a third, what I would say core pillar of our volume,” he said.

“In terms of volume, many of the other models will contribute, but not to the level of those other three.”

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