BYD Auto (hereinafter referred to as BYD) is the first Chinese car brand to enter the Japanese passenger car market. All vehicles introduced in Japan are pure electric vehicles without engines. Automotive journalist Koichiro Imoto conducted a 4,300km road test on the Dolphin, a compact BEV that is expected to become the company's main product for the time being, and discussed its marketability and strategy.
＞＞[19 photos] All about BYD Dolphin Long Range
In April 2024, the Chinese car brand BYD launched a large-scale advertisement featuring actor Masami Nagasawa with the catchphrase "It's possible, BYD!"
In January 2023, we will launch the ATTO3 crossover SUV, becoming the first Chinese brand to enter the Japanese passenger car market. In November of the same year, the compact car "Dolphin" was added. Furthermore, the company plans to launch the Seal, a high-end sedan, in June of this year. All models for Japan are BEVs (battery electric vehicles).
For BYD, it has been a bumpy road to success in doing business in Japan. Japan's BEV market is small, and increasing sales is difficult. The image of Chinese products is low, and there is a strong psychological resistance among users to buy expensive durable consumer goods. BYD's brand awareness is low, and the performance and reliability of the product itself is unknown. China's position in the international community is also delicate - and there is no lack of opposition.
How can we break through that headwind? South Korea's Hyundai, which is also in the East Asia group, is limiting its investment by primarily selling online. BYD, on the other hand, is deploying dealers all over the country and communicating directly with users.
The number of sales locations is 51 as of March 2024. Half of the goal of 100 locations by the end of 2025 has been reached. Since BYD is not directly managed, BYD does not bear the entire investment risk, but it appears to be presenting favorable conditions that will encourage local car dealers to consider selling unknown brands. This is a concentrated investment that is typical of Chinese capital.
However, what is important is the product strength of BYD vehicles. The only way to improve your reputation in terms of failure rates, durability, service quality, etc. is to build up a track record over many years, but as a preliminary step, it is no use saying that the products currently being sold are poor. What kind of characteristics do BYD cars have? We drove our main product, the Dolphin, over 4,300km to thorou...
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