The local distributor of Chinese electric car maker has flagged two new EV models will come to Australia in 2024, an electric ute and a large SUV, adding to the three models it will have already launched by the end of the year.
On Monday night, as we report here, BYD launched its much anticipated Seal electric sedan, a direct challenge to the Tesla Model 3, with the sub-$40,000 Dolphin to follow, adding to the successful Atto 3 that was launched last year.
“At the moment, we’ve gone from one to three EV models within 18 months, and the next model to launch will be a larger SUV. And that will be sometime in the first half of next year, said Luke Todd, the head of EV Direct which distributes BYD EVs in Australia.
He said the much talked about ute is due in the second half of 2024. “There’s been some leaked spy photos this week which I’m sure many have seen,” Todd said.
“I was in China with the designers last week and our own engineering team have been up there for a month or two. I can tell you that this vehicle is being designed so well to be suitable for the Australian market and that’s why we’re making the claims that we believe it will be best in class when it comes out.
“But that’s going to be second half of next year.”
The additions mean that BYD will have a total of 5 electric models in Australia by the end of 2024. Having more options will help more drivers consider making the shift to electric, particularly in segments where the electric model lineup has been limited.
On top of the ute, the larger electric SUV has also been spotted being tested on local roads. It appears to be of a similar size to Australia’s best-selling electric car in 2023, the Tesla Model Y.
The popularity of SUVs in the local market has meant that BYD’s first model in Australia, the Atto 3 has been taken up by over 10,000 owners, making it the third-best-selling EV in the country.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.