BYD to launch EV sales in Japan

TOKYO -- BYD Co.'s Japanese division said on Monday it would start selling its first battery electric vehicles in the country early next year, as the world's largest EV maker further steps up plans to either sell or make vehicles available across major markets.

China's BYD, partly owned by Berkshire Hathaway, said it will roll out an electric crossover, the Atto 3, in Japan starting Jan. 31. The car has a cruising distance of 485 kilometers and will cost 4.4 million yen ($32,735.66).

In comparison, Nissan Motor Co.'s electric Leaf standard model has a cruising range of 322 kilometers and costs about 3.7 million yen.

BYD's Japan arm is planning to introduce two more models by the end of 2023 and more than 100 dealerships in Japan by the end of 2025, the company said.
 

Gasoline-electric hybrid models remain more popular than BEVs in Japan. However, the share of battery-driven vehicles is expected to grow, partly due to non-Japanese automakers such as BYD and Volkswagen Group making their way into the market.

BYD's Japan division is planning to set up tentative retailers starting in late January in 22 cities but is eager to cover all 47 prefectures, said Atsuki Tofukuji, CEO of BYD Auto Japan Inc.

"We hope that we can make our presence felt little by little as we work toward carbon neutrality and as our customers demand a variety of choices," he said.

Japanese automakers have been increasingly criticized by activists and green investors, who slam them for not embracing battery electric vehicles fast enough.

Toyota Motor Corp. began selling its first mass-produced fully electric vehicle, the bZ4X crossover, in May as alease-only in the domestic market, charging 106,700 yen per month for the first four years in a 10-year contract. However, it was forced to recall the EV less than two months later due to safety concerns. It began producing the crossover again in October.

Just a year into its $38 billion EV plan, Toyota is already considering rebooting the program to better compete in a market growing beyond the automaker's projections, Reuters reported in October.