BYD (SZ:002594), headquartered in Shenzhen, has introduced its third electric vehicle in Japan, marking a significant step in a market traditionally dominated by local brands. The new model, named Seal EV, is now available for order in Japan with a starting price of 5.28 million yen ($33,111.75) for the rear-wheel-drive version. This is higher than its starting price of 179,800 yuan ($24,759.70) in China.
The expansion of BYD, short for Build Your Dreams, in Japan poses a potential challenge to domestic automakers, who are already contending with competition from BYD and other Chinese electric vehicle brands in the Chinese market. BYD has focused solely on battery-powered cars for the Japanese market, unlike its diverse offerings in China, where it also leads in plug-in hybrid technology.
In Japan, BYD is offering both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions of the Seal EV, each equipped with an 82.56 kilowatt-hour battery pack. The rear-wheel-drive model boasts a range of 640 km (398 miles), while the all-wheel-drive variant, priced at 6.05 million yen, offers a range of 575 km on a single charge.
Last year, BYD introduced the Atto 3 and Dolphin EVs in Japan, achieving sales of approximately 2,500 units.
Paraphrasing text from "Reuters" all rights reserved by the original author.
