“BYD Atto 3 looks great, the price is right, rear seat space is generous, and it has a panoramic sunroof... I’ll recommend this car to my parents.” That’s what a Japanese fan tweeted on May 21 after seeing the BYD Dolphin at a local auto show. This enthusiast, who also owns a BMW i4, is clearly well-versed in BYD’s lineup.
Not only in Japan, but in Israel, Thailand, Vietnam, and even faraway South America and Europe, more people are getting to know BYD and choosing its vehicles. BYD fans are going global.
A Global-Ready Product Matrix
BYD has defined 2022 as its year of overseas expansion. By the end of last year, BYD had established a presence in Asia, Europe, and the Americas, conducting passenger car business in 18 countries. Its commercial vehicles have reached over 70 countries and regions across six continents, covering more than 400 cities.
Since opening its first overseas subsidiary in the Netherlands in 1998, BYD has spent 24 years building its global automotive presence. So the “year one” signifies acceleration and timely market monetization.
For example, in Israel, BYD partnered with national distributor Shlomo, with which it previously collaborated on electric buses. Since last year, BYD’s export growth has been the fastest among Chinese brands. In April, BYD exported 14,800 vehicles, up 15.5 times year-on-year. In the first four months, overseas sales reached about 53,600 units, nearly matching the total 55,900 exported in all of 2022.
In Thailand, the BYD Atto 3 (Yuan Plus) has been the best-selling pure EV for four consecutive months, and in Israel it has topped all passenger car models for six straight months. It also became New Zealand’s best-selling pure EV in April and Singapore’s top pure EV in the same month.
The Atto 3 has become a global star product. BYD chose it as the flagship for overseas expansion because it is the most suitable category and price point among its high-volume offerings. Perhaps not the most expensive, but the most appropriate for now.
The Atto 3 is just the beginning: the Seal will soon launch in Europe, while the Dolphin targets Asia and Latin America. Together with the Song Plus DM-i, these models form BYD’s overseas lineup. For any brand aiming to compete globally, a solid and comprehensive product matrix can be more important than sales volume alone.
BYD’s advantages include early globalization, high brand awareness, precise product positioning, and good relationships with local markets. All these factors contribute to the smooth sailing of its passenger car exports.
A Core Technology for the World
Since BYD announced its passenger car export plan in May 2021, the first batch of BYD Tang models were priced at €72,000 in Europe, on par with BMW X5 and Audi Q7. The high overseas pricing surprised the domestic market. Even the current main export model, BYD Atto 3, sells for about €38,000 (roughly ¥270,000), far above its domestic counterpart, the Yuan Plus.
Behind this high added value lies BYD’s core technology moat. Equipped with blade batteries, DM-i super hybrid technology, and e-platform 3.0, BYD’s passenger cars have a technological generation gap over competitors’ “oil-to-electric” conversions. This advantage manifests in range, safety, space, and driving quality, forming the basis of BYD’s leadership.
Upon entering Europe, the Atto 3 received the highest five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP. Safety is becoming a key tag for BYD overseas.
One overseas media commented: “BYD’s blade battery technology has become a force to be reckoned with in China and the world. BYD ranks second globally with over 16% market share, and it is the top OEM.” Prioritizing technology over low-price competition is admirable.
In the era of fuel vehicles, German and Japanese technologies were always praised. Now, BYD’s new energy technology is turning the tables, becoming a global technology benchmark.
Cultural Confidence of a Chinese Brand
BYD’s export of products and technology is accompanied by cultural confidence. It actively practices cultural export, becoming a model of combining substance and style. Early this year, videos went viral of foreigners using BYD’s Chinese voice recognition system with broken accents: “Ni hao, Xiao Ji!” Despite the hilarious mispronunciations, these videos show that some overseas BYD users have already learned Chinese and successfully use voice commands to open windows, rotate the screen, and adjust settings. Netizens joked that foreigners now get a taste of “original imported” Chinese technology.
Actually, the videos showed domestic BYD models. In reality, overseas versions have been localized. In Japan, users praised the infotainment system as “quite sincere.” Behind these amusing clips is the soft effect of Chinese culture traveling around the world with BYD products.
On a macro level, as a Global Fortune 500 company, BYD insists on technology-driven innovation, pursuing green dreams, promoting sustainable development, and helping to “cool the Earth by 1°C.” On a micro level, once you choose Chinese smart manufacturing represented by BYD, you embrace modern technology imbued with Eastern wisdom, no matter where you are.
In May 2023, BYD sponsored the 11th ASEAN Business School Desert Challenge and the 17th Xuanzang Road Business School Gobi Challenge. These genuine domestic manufacturing and global brand culture activities are now an integral part of BYD’s internationalization.
This reflects BYD’s cultural confidence: from Chinese characters on interior buttons to dragon-face design elements, and the oracle-bone-inspired logo for its high-end brand Yangwang. BYD adapts, adjusts, persists, and stays true to itself, but never panders.
Conclusion
BYD’s logic for overseas expansion is clear: brand confidence stems from product confidence, which comes from technology confidence, which in turn is rooted in cultural confidence. And cultural confidence reinforces brand confidence. This nearly perfect closed loop is the moat that establishes BYD’s global competitive advantage. BYD is the protagonist riding a wave of glory, and its systematic competitiveness is its halo.