At the opening of its pre-delivery inspection and service and training centre in Mascot, BYD confirmed its upcoming ute and mid-sized SUV will be launched next year with hybrid power.
Using BYD’s ‘DMI’ system available in other markets, the company promises that this will be unlike any other hybrid technology currently available in Australia.
Australia will be the first to receive the ute in the Asia-Pacific region, with local testing and input shaping the vehicle globally. No other specific details on the model have been confirmed as yet.
This is part of the company’s grand ambition to become the best-selling automaker in Australia by 2030, which would mean overtaking Toyota. BYD said:
“The expansion plans have been under discussion for many months and confirmed on the back of the recent successful launches of the BYD Dolphin and Seal. The expansion plans will underpin the lofty goals of BYD to be a top 5 brand in Australia with aspirations of reaching the number one spot.”
During 2022, Toyota Australia sold (delivered) 231,050 vehicles, according to VFACTS figures. BYD is aiming to surpass such figures.
So far this year (through October), Toyota has shifted 174,957 units, which is down 10.1 per cent on the same period last year. BYD, which joined VFACTS reporting last November, has sold 9718 vehicles in the first 10 months of this year – there is no YTD figure to compare the previous performance.
During a press event today we were given a quick look at the new facility in Mascot and had the opportunity to ask a few questions.
When quizzed about the potential introduction of the Seagull B-segment electric vehicle, CEO of EVDirect (the official BYD distributor in Australia), Luke Todd, said it is on the radar and could work for this market, suggesting a potential 2025 launch.
