The Chinese automaker eletric cars BYD arrived in Brazil in 2013. Since then, the company has not only been leading the segment in terms of sales, but also has plans to invest in the production of its cars in the country.
In an interview with Westthe marketing director of BYD BrazilPablo Toledo, commented on the company’s expectations for the coming years.
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“We are very excited about the way things are progressing here in Brazil,” said Toledo. “We are looking forward to producing cars here. We are close to reaching dealership number 100, which is a symbol for the expansion of the network. The more stores, the more opportunities for Brazilian consumers to discover a technological, sustainable car that is concerned with the future of the world.”
This Wednesday, the 24th, the brand relaunched on the market one of the first electric models that went on sale in Brazil. This is the BYD Tan EV model, a 100% electric seven-seater sports utility vehicle (SUV).
Despite being at the forefront of the brand’s first cars in the country, the SUV ended up not having a good sales performance due to the success of the Dolphin line — with more than 3 thousand units delivered.
“Much of the story was told after the launch of BYD Dolphin, and BYD was already here with Tan, Han and Yuan”, explained the executive. “With this new version of the BYD Tan, much more than a commercial expectation, we want to show the Brazilian consumer the car as a symbol of technology, comfort, safety and performance.”
In addition to 717 horsepower with immediate acceleration response, the Tan offers the consumer 1,655 liters of trunk space and is 5 meters long. In a comparison with a combustion car, the SUV would perform 40 km per liter. In the interior space, a 22-inch navigation multimedia screen, steering wheel heater and 12 speakers are distributed throughout the vehicle’s interior.
“A seven-seater SUV that goes from 0 to 100 km/h in less than five seconds,” said the director. “When we think of a seven-seater SUV, we usually think of family, big dog. Don’t think about performance. The embedded message is that BYD has this capability. Our expectation with this launch is to send this message to the Brazilian consumer.”
Understand the history of BYD in Brazil
With more than 600,000 employees around the world, the Chinese company’s operations go beyond selling electric cars in Brazil. Among the brand’s investments are a 100% electric bus chassis assembly factory and a photovoltaic model factory in Campinas. A lithium iron phosphate battery industry in Manaus (AM) also expands the diversity of production in the largest country in South America.
In 2023, the brand began construction at the Camaçari Complex, in Bahia, where it should begin manufacturing the first vehicles outside Asia.
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Gabriel de Souza is an intern at Magazine West in Sao Paulo. Under the supervision of Edilson Salgueiro
