Australian customer feedback crucial to BYD success: Chinese electric car brand to make ongoing improvements based on owner experiences

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD will use Australian customer feedback to make any necessary improvements and adjustments to its current and future models.

BYD, distributed in Australia via EV Direct, has just launched with its first model, the Atto 3 small SUV, but as CarsGuide recently reported, two more all-electric models will go on sale towards the end of the year.

The Dolphin light hatch and Seal sedan are coming with different names, followed by another five new models before the end of 2024.

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EV Direct managing director and CEO Luke Todd said the distributor has bold plans for BYD in Australia, including becoming one of the leading EV brands within the next two years.

Mr Todd said as a new brand to the Australian market, he understands that constructive customer and media feedback can only improve the current and future models.

“We know how good the quality of the vehicle is. But of course, there's going to be some feedback for any models that come, whether it's our brand or any other brand, and all of that feedback will be taken on board,” he said.

“The genuine comments that we can take on board to help us either improve the product or to tailor the future products to be more attractive to Australian consumers, we definitely will take on board and that's the beauty of the relationship we have with BYD. We can feed back those comments in a mature way right back to the top executive of the BYD powerhouse global company.”

The Atto 3 is the first mass-volume model in BYD's Australian line-up.

BYD isn’t the first carmaker to send Australian owner and media feedback to its parent company. Particularly in their early days in Australia, Hyundai and Kia regularly presented insights from local drivers and journalists to company headquarters in South Korea in a bid to improve the product.

Following the opening of order books for the Atto 3 in February, Mr Todd said that the initial customer base is made up of a broad range of people or all demographics from all states and territories.

“It's been a completely wide range of interest. Some people that are EV fanatics and switching brands, some people that have been waiting for the first high-quality EV that they can actually afford.”

He added that there’s been a lot of interest from people keen to make the move to an electric car, particularly with the price of petrol and diesel spiking in recent weeks as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Mr Todd highlighted the ongoing cost savings of an Atto 3 – that starts from $44,381 before on-road costs – compared with a similar petrol car.

“If you buy an Atto 3 compared to a petrol vehicle at the same price, you could be upwards of 10 per cent better off across an eight-year period as far as total cost-of-ownership. So, we're beyond price parity. So now it's a question of, why are you buying petrol vehicle when electric vehicles going to be far more cost competitive, and actually put more money back in your pocket?

“And that's why I think we've got such a wide-ranging demographic interest in our vehicles because we're seeing a lot of the interest come from people that are looking at it from an economical point of view, not just environmental point of view.”