Two BYD Yuan Plus vehicles built to Australian specifications are currently being tested in China ahead of shipment to Australia in time for a new showroom in William Street in Sydney’s Darlinghurst.
Images of an Australia spec Yuan Plus – sent to The Driven directly from China – show the blue electric crossover plastered with lettering stating “Australian 2022 Design and evaluation model”.
In a note to The Driven, CEO of TrueGreen Mobility’s Luke Todd – whose company EV Direct will sell the Yuan Plus and a range of other BYD models to Australian drivers via an exclusive direct-to-consumer model with the Chinese EV giant – said that he has been directly involved with testing the Australia spec vehicle.
“I’m currently in China doing final design styling and testing work on our mass launch vehicle which is the Australian variant of what’s being released in China as the Yuan Plus,” Todd said.
“I’ve spent the last few days doing high speed and extreme condition testing at the BYD proving ground facility.”
Todd has told The Driven previously that TrueGreen subsidiary EV Direct is instrumental in ensuring the Yuan Plus will be built to Australian specs and safety standards. According to him, this means “the model will not only be 5-star ANCAP but will also pass the Aussie tough test.”
“I threw everything at it and it performed and handled perfectly,” he said.
The Yuan Plus will be joined by fellow BYD models including a $34,950 (before on-roads) BYD T3 electric van and $39,999 (also before on-roads) e6 electric people mover that are currently listed on the EV Direct website, where interested parties can make enquiries.
Other models including a budget EA1 electric hatch and a next generation Han premium electric sedan will join the BYD stable in Australia.
A solid timeline for the arrival of the BYD range of EVs is dependent on final plans the company is making for an Australia and New Zealand launch, according to Todd. He said a new BYD showroom on William St in Darlinghurst will be ready for opening by February 2022.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.