New BYD Shark circling on HiLux volume business
Chinese brand sets sights on Aussie businesses and government fleet sales to fuel growthChinese car giant BYD is embarking on a concerted push into the fleet space, hoping to steal sales from the likes of the Toyota Camry and the HiLux ute.
Offering discounts on its full range of EVs and PHEVs targetting both Australian businesses and lucrative government fleet sales, the bold move is likely to see counter-attacks from established brands that make big profits from fleet buyers, such as Toyota and Hyundai.
Even the hotly-anticipated BYD Shark 6 dual-cab ute – the first PHEV ute in Australia – is being discounted for fleet buyers, along with the Seal sedan, Sealion 6 and Atto 3 SUVs and Dolphin hatchback.
Fleet sales currently are growing fast in Australia and becoming more and more important to car brands' revenues.
In 2023 fleet sales accounted for an incredible 46 per cent (534,711) of total sales in Australia as the number of cars sold to companies and government departments returns to the 2018 peak of 600,000, when the number of fleet sales accounted for more than one in two cars sold (53.6 per cent).
The COVID years saw fleet sales drop off but now they're building momentum once again.
It's expected that 2024 will be the year fleet sales once again overtake private sales, hence why car-maker's hungry for growth are chasing where the volume is, even though the prospect of selling more cars at a lower margin might not seem as attractive as selling fewer cars that net more profit.
BYD says government fleets will get a 6% discount, with all local, state & federal government departments and agencies and not-for-profit organisations eligible.
Extended fleet buyers get the 6% discount, which is the purchase of 100 or more vehicles, while standard fleet buyers (buying between 20 and 99 vehicles) get a 4% discount.
“This innovative program not only reduces upfront costs and total cost of ownership but empowers both business and government to faster make the transition to new energy technology, significantly reducing their carbon footprint,” stated BYD Fleet CEO Boyd Stidwill.
Related: BYD Shark 6 2025 Review
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Related: BYD Dolphin 2023 Review
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