Will NZ also see first BYD offer to Australia?

POSSIBILITY about the prospect of Chinese car brand BYD making good on potential to show in New Zealand remains unclear, despite the distributor having appeared to make some progress across the Tasman.

Announcement by Nexport, which claims Australasian rights to the budget-minded brand, that it will have a car on sale in Australia from July is the latest twist in a long saga.

The sharp-priced small hatchback that was perceived as giving opportunity for Nexport to lower the price of buying a new electric vehicle is no longer coming.

In its stead is a larger sports utility, to be rebadged Atto 3 (it’s the Yuan Plus in China), that could still conceivably be $515 less expensive than NZ’s current budget king, the MG ZS, assuming the quoted Australia market price transferred to NZ without alteration.

The Drive.com.au website says the model – which it says has yet to be sighted in right-hand-drive - won't arrive in Australia for at least five months, but Australians can now put $A1000 down for a reservation.

Information about Atto 3 was released after Nexport last week announced it will not pursue a plan to build BYD cars and commercial vehicles in Australia.

Nexport has aired thought about NZ potentials on several past occasions, but has said nothing about the Atto 3’s local potential in its most recent comment.

The Motor Industry Association, which speaks on behalf of most national distributors, also says it has heard nothing recently.

If Australia market pricing was adapted here, the Atto 3 would start at the equivalent of $48,500 before on-roads. Implement the Government’s Clean Car rebate and that would drop to $39,850.

The MG ZS EV has sold for $48,990, dropping to $40,365 once the rebate is achieved. The comparison has become a semantic, however, as supply of the electric ZS appears to have dried up, with all reference to it withdrawn from the MG NZ website.

The brand is now awaiting a facelift edition, with the major change of adoption of a more powerful battery. The brand has not said if this change will inflate the local price, though that has occurred in other markets.

In Australia the BYD is to be sold online and pricing will not be negotiable via a dealership.

Those putting down a fully-refundable $1000 deposit to reserve a vehicle have been advised that finalising the sale will not be possible until cars arrive, and, according to the small print, the advertised pricing is “subject to change.”

All display examples of the Atto 3 currently in Australia are China-spec cars; therefore they present in left-hand drive.

Drive.com.au says that Nexport, despite not yet importing a registrable example of its new model and regardless that it has no prior experience selling passenger cars en masse in Australia, is adamant it has “full factory backing” to build 1500 vehicles with the steering wheel on the correct side within the next five months.

The site also says Nexport claims it will import 15,000 cars before the end of 2022, suggesting ambitions to outsell Tesla in its first year on sale.

In entry-level, 'Superior' standard-range guise a single electric motor sends 150kW/310Nm to the front wheels, for 0-100kmh in a claimed 7.3 seconds with a top speed of 160kmh.

A 50.1kWh lithium-ion 'Blade' battery pack permits a claimed maximum driving range of 400km between charges (or 320km estimated according to European WLTP procedures).

Seats are trimmed in a two-tone faux-leather trim and infotainment comes via a 12.8-inch rotating infotainment screen.

Nexport claims a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty for the vehicle.

Last April Nexport said it was ready to roll out an electric hatchback then known as the BYD EA1 (badged 'Dolphin' in Chinese production form) for “well-under $A35,000.”

Atto 3 SUV itself has been on a slow boat. It was supposed to debut in Australia last October.