Global BYD boss opens Melbourne flagship store

How important is Australia to burgeoning global electrified vehicle brand, BYD? Here’s more than a hint. Down Under for a whistlestop tour of Australian BYD operations, BYD global boss Chuanfu Wang yesterday officially opened the company’s Melbourne flagship store.

Still a work-in-progress, the store is located in Melbourne’s Cremorne tech hub and shares close proximity to the initial Victorian retail outlet and service centre of fellow EV pioneering brand Tesla.

BYD will use the new store to build interest in its products and showcase new models – both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid.

Wang is BYD’s global chairman and president and was accompanied on his visit by a delegation of senior BYD leaders. Their presence is a very strong indicator of the stature of the Australian market in BYD’s growth plans.

After introducing the BYD global head, local BYD boss Luke Todd stated the visit saw Wang sign off on a “massive expansion” of the Chinese car-maker’s Australian operations, including a commitment to open “70 to 100 new stores” by the end of 2024.

BYD already has around 35 stores in operation in Australia, and the retail expansion will pave the way for a broadening of the company’s EV range beyond the BYD Atto 3 small SUV, the Dolphin hatch and the Seal medium sedan.

New models on the near horizon include the BYD Seal U plug-in hybrid SUV, a larger all-electric SUV, an electrified ute line-up and, potentially, a smaller electric hatch called the Dolphin Mini.

“The delegation has only been in Australia for 46 hours… We’ve been in Brisbane yesterday and it’s great to come down to Melbourne,” Todd told a small group of BYD faithful at the Cremorne store’s official opening.

“What we’ve tried to build here [with the store] is quintessential Melbourne living, which is going to attract more customers to the BYD brand. And we believe this location will be a testament to a lot of people becoming newly acquainted with the BYD brand and everything that has to offer,” he said.

“We had a conference yesterday where we’ve committed to a massive expansion – 2024 is the year when BYD will go right across the country. We're talking somewhere between 70 to 100 new stores open by the end of 2024 and that would just be the beginning,” Todd stated.

Todd said the introduction of BYD’s DM-i plug-in hybrid technology via the Seal U was a step-change for the brand Down Under.

“This allows all Australians to enjoy the drive of electric vehicle with ultra-low emissions, but also not have the range anxiety.

“It [also] takes a lot of pressure off the big topic in Australia of ‘where are the chargers?’” he stated.

Attracting widespread local consumer awareness since its arrival in this market in August 2022, BYD has posted a 175 per cent sales increase so far in 2024, following a 488 per cent increase in 2023, when it sold 12,438 vehicles in Australia.

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