097 - BYD Boss talks 2026 in Australia and the new Atto 1
Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars - The EV Podcast
097 - BYD Boss talks 2026 in Australia and the new Atto 1
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Car
BYD Addo One
The BYD Addo One is a small electric car made by a company called BYD. It's important because it's one of the first electric cars that costs about the same as a regular petrol car, making it easier for people to choose electric.
Concept
parity on pricing
Parity on pricing means that electric cars and regular petrol cars cost about the same. This is important because it helps more people consider buying electric cars instead of petrol ones.
Car
Mazda 2
Car
Toyota Yaris
The Toyota Yaris is a small, affordable car that's good on gas and easy to drive around town.
Car
Kia Picanto
Term
drive away price
Drive away price is the final amount you pay to take a car home, covering everything like taxes and fees.
Term
on-road costs
On-road costs are the extra expenses you have to pay to make a car legal to drive, like registration and insurance.
Term
compact car
A compact car is a small car that is easy to drive and park, usually saving you money on gas.
Brand
BYD
BYD is a car brand from China that makes electric cars. They aim to provide options for people with different budgets.
Term
range
Range is how far an electric car can go before it needs to be charged again. It's important to know because it affects how you can use the car.
Term
battery
The battery in an electric car is what stores the energy to make it run. A smaller battery means the car can go less distance before needing to charge.
Car
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is a small car that is very reliable and good on gas. It's a popular choice for people who are buying their first car because it's easy to drive and maintain.
Term
charging
Charging is how you fill up the battery of an electric car, similar to how you would fill up a gas tank, but instead, you plug it in to get power.
Car
BYD Addo 1
The BYD Addo 1 is a type of electric car made by a company called BYD. They make cars that run on electricity instead of gasoline, which is better for the environment.
Car
BYD Addo 2
The BYD Addo 2 is another electric car from BYD, but it might look different or have different features compared to the Addo 1.
Car
BYD C-Line 7
The BYD C-Line 7 is a different model of car from BYD, also focusing on electric technology and modern design.
Car
BYD C-Line 6
The BYD C-Line 6 is another car model from BYD, which is also an electric vehicle and has a unique design.
Car
BYD Addo 3
The BYD Addo 3 is a car from BYD, similar to the Addo 1, and is also an electric vehicle with its own design features.
Car
Toyota Yaris Gr
The Toyota GR Yaris is a sportier version of the regular Yaris car, built for speed and fun driving. It has a powerful engine and special features that make it great for racing and enjoying the road, which is why car lovers really like it.
Car
Hyundai I20N
The Hyundai i20 N is a sporty version of the regular i20 hatchback. It has upgrades that make it faster and more fun to drive compared to the standard model.
Car
Hyundai i30 N
The Hyundai i30 N is a sporty version of the i30 hatchback. It has a powerful engine and special features that make it more exciting to drive than the regular i30.
Car
Volkswagen Golf GTI
The Golf GTI is a sportier version of the regular Volkswagen Golf. It's designed to be more fun to drive, with a more powerful engine and better handling.
Car
BYD Shark 6
The BYD Shark 6 is another electric car from BYD that is selling well. It's part of their effort to provide more options for electric vehicle buyers.
Term
electric vehicles
Electric vehicles are cars that run on electricity instead of gas. They are better for the environment because they don't produce exhaust fumes.
Car
BYD Atto 3
The BYD Atto 3 is a new electric car from a Chinese company called BYD. It's designed to be stylish and packed with technology, making it a strong competitor in the electric vehicle market.
Term
electric vehicle (EV)
An electric vehicle, or EV, is a car that runs on electricity instead of gasoline. This means it produces no exhaust emissions and is often better for the environment.
Car
Hyundai Elantra
The Hyundai Elantra is a small car that many people buy because it's affordable and has good features. It's been updated many times to make it better.
Term
wiring harness
A wiring harness is like a bundle of wires that connects different parts of a car to help them work together. It's important for the car's electrical systems to function correctly.
Term
Tesla Chargers
Tesla Chargers are special charging stations made for Tesla cars. They help charge the car's battery quickly, especially when you're on a long drive.
Brand
Lexus
Lexus is a brand that makes luxury cars and is part of Toyota. They focus on making high-end vehicles that are very comfortable and packed with features.
Car
Tesla Model Y
The Tesla Model Y is a type of electric car that looks like a small SUV. It's known for being very high-tech and can drive long distances on a single charge, which makes it a favorite for people who want to use less gas and help the environment.
LIVE
This is Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars with Trevor Long and Stephen Fennig, thanks to NRMA Insurance and Unidan.
Great to have you company folks here on Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars, thanks to NRMA Insurance, a help company,
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And of course, thanks to the great people at Unidan Smart Dashcams.
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You should buy a dashcam.
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Front and rear.
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It's a rear and a front camera.
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So good looking and great at what they do.
Something for everyone.
Massive show today.
We want to unpack the announcement of about a week and a bit ago of the Addo One and Two pricing.
We're going to be joined shortly by the Chief Operating Officer of BYD Australia, Stephen Collins.
We appreciate him taking some time.
We'll get to him shortly.
But Stephen, like this is aggressive.
Now, the Addo One is a fascinating car because it's a nice compact hatchback.
But for real perspective on this, this is exciting for a very important reason.
This is the first time we have come anywhere near parity on pricing between petrol and electric cars.
It is a watershed moment, they call it, mate.
It is.
I've just done a quick look and look, I think when we get to see it and it's on the road and you drive it,
it may not be 100% equivalent to these vehicles.
But without question, there's three cars that come to mind when I think compact hatchback.
They are the Kia Picanto, the Toyota Yaris and the Mazda 2.
You might argue the Mazda 2 kind of feels a touch bigger.
It might be.
But the Mazda 2 starts at about $28,999.
Starts.
Drive away.
Drive away price.
The Toyota Yaris, drive away price $32,790.
The Kia Picanto, $19,190 plus driveaways, which takes it to $22,000.
So driveaway prices are hard to work out at the best of times.
But if you say roughly a Kia Picanto is $3,500 for the on-road costs, then the Addo 1 at $23,990
is probably going to be driveaway $27,000.
Maybe they'll do some...
It's in the ballpark.
They'll do some sharp driveaway pricing, which will probably take it to, I think, $27,999.
Which means it's on par with a Mazda 2 and just cheaper than a Toyota Yaris.
That was the issue, I think, for people who were keen to buy an EV was price, right?
And also the class of car they want to buy, in this case a compact car, a smaller car.
And so up until now, there was really no choice for them.
But now, suddenly, BYDs come through with...
And basically what they've done with these announcements is just plugged the gaps in their range.
That's right.
They thought, right, we need an ultra-cheap here and we need another one here.
And that's basically what they've come up with at prices that we expected and see very competitive.
You think about our main game, smartphone technology, right?
Think about Samsung, right?
They've got a smartphone from $250 all the way up to $2,500.
Just at every price point.
That's what BYDs do.
They go, we want for every person that has a budget for a car,
we want to have one that's under that budget, right?
Now, the biggest criticism you could objectively make of these cars,
especially the Auto 1, is range.
The Auto 1 has a range of between 220 and 320 kilometers, right?
That's because it's a small car with a small battery.
Smaller battery, yeah.
It's not made for highway driving.
No.
It's made for city driving, of course.
You wouldn't buy this car if you're driving from Canberra to Sydney every week, right?
Yeah, but again, having said that, if you're buying a Yaris
or you're not driving in the country every weekend.
I've taken our Mazda 2, which we've owned for 13 odd years.
It's been to the country once.
There you go.
Because I had no other choice one day, right?
Yeah.
But it's not like you can't do it.
No.
In this case, you can charge halfway.
You definitely can.
Not a problem.
You could charge every 150Ks, no dramas at all.
Yeah.
But this is a ultimate city run about.
So, and again, I'll be demographically, it's not, you know, anti,
no, not anti.
I don't want to pigeonhole this as an old person's car.
Okay.
That's what I want to say.
Well, that, it could pretend to be a young person's car.
It sits at both ends of the spectrum.
This could be your first car.
Yeah.
Because mate, Jackson has never driven.
He's driven to Barrie a few times down south, but he'll take our car.
He's taking our care for that, right?
The bigger car, yeah.
This is perfect for him, right?
Yeah.
So it's a perfect first car.
But it's also perfect.
It sounds terrible.
Last car.
So lovely lady who lives across the road from me.
If you haven't watched this show, Gail, hello.
I don't think she does.
But Gail owns a Toyota Corolla.
Yep.
Now, Gail, I don't know if she's got solar.
But if you're retired and you've put solar on your house,
you put a battery in and you're buying a new car
and you're probably going to buy a Toyota Yaris
or Toyota Corolla and those kind of things.
When you buy this, it's essentially free upkeep
because you're either charging it
at a tenth of the price of petrol overnight.
You're charging it for free while you're at home
because you don't work.
Yeah.
That ongoing saving.
Because I think about my mum who's on a pension.
Yeah.
And I go, there wouldn't be for her
because she drives hundreds of kilometres.
She's just driven to Armour.
Yeah.
That's just insane.
Be good for my mum.
Yeah.
And she could plug this in at night.
She's at home during the day.
No promise.
Plug in.
Yeah.
It's just, it's simple, right?
Easy.
And that battery is going to recharge overnight
even on basic AC power.
Well, that's good.
Well, I think it's, look,
it's opened up the possibilities
for people who had no option before.
The Addo.
Good on BYD for creating that option.
The Addo 1 makes sense to me.
The Addo 2 I struggle with
because I actually don't think it's as good looking,
good looking car as the Addo 1.
It's like there's two design teams at BYD.
Yeah.
One that does these awesome,
the Seale, the C-Line 7.
Yeah.
The Addo 1.
And then there's a design team
that did the C-Line 6.
They did the Addo 3.
Yeah.
And they've done the Addo 2.
So you reckon there's not,
there's not the consistency
across the board?
I don't think, like these two cars
don't look like brother and sister
from the same year.
Yeah, maybe.
They look like generationally
different cars.
And that's fine.
Well, yeah.
The Addo 2 looks more like
the 3, don't you?
Exactly.
That's what I'm saying.
Whereas the Addo 1 is sort of like
you reckon the adopted child
might not look the same.
Which I think is a better looking car.
I see.
The Addo 2, it's almost the same size
of the Addo 3.
No, it's slightly smaller.
But in terms of sitting
and looking at them,
it really is plugging a gap
just on price in the middle there.
It's fascinating that the way
they've done that.
Yeah.
I don't know.
I see what you're meaning here.
The one that does sort of have
more of a, would you say more
a European sort of looking style?
It has a sporting look.
Yeah, more sporty.
Whereas the Addo 2
sort of your more family
sort of size car and more for
maybe, like I look at the Addo 1
is sort of like a single person,
young person's car,
older person's car.
Addo 2 more, a family car.
You know, mum and dad
dropping off the kids and stuff.
BYD, after six months of sales
of the Addo 1 would be mad
not to come out with a
Addo 1 Sport version, right?
So all you do is you refine
the motor to give it some more
oomph.
Maybe you need a bigger battery.
I don't know.
But you give it little flares
on the wheels.
If anyone's seen the Toyota Yaris GR
which is a legitimate sports car,
I will say,
but mate, the appeal of the Hyundai i20N,
the i30N of a sporty version
of a hatchback.
Hatchbacks are all,
like ever since I've been an owner,
I've always been a hatchback owner.
There's always been the sporty version,
you know, your Golf GTI.
They would be mad
because of those lines
and that style
to not come out with a
souped up version.
Yeah, I know we're going to talk to
Steven Collins from BYD in a moment.
So I'm assuming they're going to
keep all of these
as well as the Dolphins.
I have to ask him,
because in reality,
the Addo 3 and Dolphin
are like the old versions of these.
Yeah.
Yeah, maybe.
So if it's true,
they're bringing the range
into a different price,
but it also works to that Samsung
analogy of having something
at every price.
Something for everybody.
Correct.
You can spend top range
or entry level.
And as I understand,
they're going to be in showrooms
next month.
These will be on sale next year.
So we are going to see
in January, February sales data,
we're going to see BYD.
BYD at every level.
Dude, the C-Line 7
is going nuts.
The BYD Shark 6 is going well.
The Addo 3 is still doing well.
You throw these in.
Yeah.
This is a super exciting time.
They've got choices for everyone.
I know.
Well, that's why the brand's
doing so well.
They've just given people options
and doing it
at a very offering value
as well as quality.
Yeah.
That's the key here.
They've nailed,
they've really nailed that zone
where you're getting
the value and the quality
at the same time.
Check it out.
The BYD Addo 1
and Addo 2
cracking prices,
but let's dig into it a bit more
and actually talk to the boss
of BYD after this.
Steven, we talk about
every electric car brand
and I've got to say,
if you had to pick,
just think about all the callers
we've had on the show
and if you want to get in touch,
by the way, folks,
send us a text
at 3477-657-657.
We'd love to hear from you
if you've bought a car,
you're buying a car,
you've bought and sold a car
or you're in the market
or you just don't like it.
Whatever it is,
we want to talk EVs with everyone.
But think about the top three brands
we've had callers about.
Yep.
What would be number one?
I would say BYD.
I agree.
Yeah, BYD with,
yeah, that was the first one.
It's probably Tesla would be second
because I think early on
we had a lot of that
and just in the last few months,
probably there's been a bit of hype on that.
So we've taken the opportunity
to get in touch with the great people at BYD
and we would say newly appointed
but feet are well under the desk.
The chief operating officer
from BYD,
Australia Stephen Collins
joins us on the line.
G'day Stephen,
how are you doing?
I'm fantastic.
Great to join you guys.
Mate, thank you so much
for spending some time with us.
You've had a massive,
massive couple of weeks
because you've announced
two brand new cars.
Let's talk about them first
and then we might just unpack
a bit of the BYD story.
But the Addo 1 and the Addo 2
are coming very soon into Australia
and the sharpest pricing
we've ever seen for electric vehicles.
You must be firstly excited and proud.
We will certainly
I'm proud, very excited
about launching both
Addo 1 and Addo 2
to the Australian market
and it really I think is
an illustration of
our desire to bring
the world's best technology
to the masses.
And we launched the vehicles
last week.
They've both gone on sale.
We've got Addo 2s in dealerships
as we speak
and Addo 1s will start arriving
in December.
So yeah, it's a fantastic time
to be about the brand that's growing
and will continue to grow
into next year.
You mentioned the growth
of the brand Stephen.
I'd say it's like a start-up
where you see all this
sudden growth.
How was that to deal with
as a company
with the massive sales
you were getting
and all the attraction
from drivers?
Well, it's been quite amazing really.
The brand entered
the Australian market back
in late 2022
under the
distributorship of EV Direct.
And EV Direct did a fantastic job
and we took over as the full
OEM in July of this year.
So when you look back
over the last three years
this month will sell
our 80,000th vehicle.
So the growth has been
really phenomenal
and I think
when I look back
from this year
has been really extraordinary.
In the first half of this year
we probably averaged
around sort of 4,000 units a month
and more recently
sort of 4,000 to 5,000 units a month.
So it's on the back of
some great product.
I think Shark Six has given us
a huge lift
in a really important market
segment in the country
and Sea Line 7
which is now the most popular
EV in the market
is really
kicked a home run
with a lot of buyers
particularly innovative lease buyers.
So yeah, look it's
unprecedented growth in the industry
and my mission
is to keep that going.
I look at the market
and you launched with the
Atto 3 which
out of the box
was just an unbelievable car
because it was
a little bit of premium to it
but it was also
a bit quirky and unique.
It was just the right size
for the market
to see a car in growth.
Then you had the Dolphin
where in terms of just
small hatches and things
but where does the 1 and 2
fit in for the Atto?
Is the Atto 1 a
replacement for the Dolphin
in the medium term?
The Atto 2 for the 3
or are all of those
four vehicles
just talking about
the fully electric four
that I've mentioned there
the Dolphin, the Atto 3
the 1 and the 2
do they all live together
for the next year or so
or is there a bit of a
migration?
Absolutely they all live together
so we see Atto 1 as very much
and of course it's
Australia's most affordable EV
but what it really
brings to the market
is under the affordability umbrella
the world's BYD's best technology
best safety best design
in just a fun to drive city package
so we see
Atto 1 having that sort of role
and we think also
a lot of new buyers to EV's
and potentially even
people who are looking
at late model used cars
we think at the price positioning
we've come in at
it'll give those people
a real alternative
in terms of an EV
and Atto 2
accessible EV
SUV we think still
has very much a role to play
with Atto 3
so what we're really doing
is filling out the range
so particularly in SUV's
anyone who's after an SUV
at the low end
the mid end
the high end
will soon have
C1 8 coming into the market
with a 7 seat option
we really want to be the brand
that offers customers
just that array of choice
depending on their own
personal requirements
The growth of the EV market
in Australia
has very much reflected
the company growth as well
so you can really take
some responsibility for that
and some pride in that
how much is
how much though are you
sort of putting into
sort of local R&D
sort of tuning
for Australian conditions as well
I know that these cars
are sold all around the world
but how important is it
to sort of localise
a little bit for Australian drivers
Look it's really important
we know that
and we're growing that capability
but we have a lot of examples
of many of our models
particularly shark
but also
ADO-1 and ADO-2
where we've done local testing
we have local engineers
within our business
we have numerous teams
coming from China
on an engineering front
to make sure that
the setup, the suspension,
the ride is optimised
for the local market
so I think
a number of other manufacturers
have done a really good job
in that space
I think it's a tried and tested formula
and for us it's important
and it's important that we do
we do more of it
in our product development
into the future
so we'll keep investing in that
and that will make sure that we bring
the right spec
and the right ride
to all of our customers locally
How much of a work out
is the pencil, sharpener
on your desk getting
when it comes to prices
because we see
massive fluctuations
and I think that's Tesla's biggest problem
is fluctuations in their pricing
has driven people insane
but I see also
you've got a huge range
you are the OG
start up in this space for Australia
but there's so many brands now
that are doing pretty aggressive pricing
but there's others that are quite premium
in their pricing
but in terms of
out of one for example
do you look at
Kia Picanto is a $19,000 car
you've come in at 23
the Toyota Yaris
is basically a $28,000 car plus
so do you want to sit
in the middle of the
like for like
parody argument
or are you playing a game
based on what you see
the buyers wanting from price
for us it's all about
what consumers want
and you know
they want good value for money
so it depends on the model
and different models
have different objectives
but for us
at the end of the day
it's about making
our cars
great value for money
and price is
one component of that
but I think
out of one
and out of two
are other examples
where you know
we fill those cars
with tech
we fill them with safety
we haven't taken any
they are the
the best technology that
BYD has to offer
so yes
pricing is important
and you know
I think we've shown
that we
we like to price aggressively
but we like to maintain that price
we're not in the game
of going up and down
all over the place
because we need to provide
surety
and you know
we're cognizant
of you know
residual values
and maintaining the
value in the long term
so yeah
pricing is a big part
of making sure
that we bring good value
to money
to the market
and to our customers
but you know
I think it's more about that
it's about value
and value is a lot of things
to a lot of different people
Steven
no doubt
BYD is being quite successful
in the EV market
in a very competitive market
how important is it
for customer service
that first point of contact
with the dealers
how does
how important is that process
we've heard
and heard from a lot of
a lot of our listeners
who turn up at a dealership
and not just BYD
or brands
and the reception they get there
the availability of test drives
has often swayed their decision
on what car they buy
so how important
how much emphasis are you placing
on that first point of contact
at the dealerships
being at a premium level
it is hugely important
we understand that
my background for many years
in OEMs
you know understands that
it's not just that first point of contact
I would say it's every point of contact
so whether it be walking into a dealership
whether we're wanting a test drive
the delivery of the vehicle
the handover of the vehicle
whether it be that first service
the second service
whatever it may be
so we've been working really really hard
to really every touch point
to be a good experience
and a seamless experience
and we're more advanced
in some areas than others
and we know that in the back end
for example service
we really need to improve
so we're investing as an example
we've just recently invested
in a 20,000 square meter
parts warehouse here in Melbourne
we have a parts warehouse in Brisbane
we'll have other parts
warehouses around the country
to make sure that
every one of those touch points
whether it be service or test drive
is a great experience
so it's hugely important
it's still a little bit of work in progress
for us with the growth that we're experiencing
but we're putting on more and more dealers
every day
and I'm sure we'll get there
but also too
I'm no doubt you'd agree
that a lot of your customers
it's their first EV
they've purchased as well
so that again is another level of responsibility
that you have as a brand
100%
and again
it goes through the whole experience
the first touch point
the last touch point
and ultimately
we want to get that first EV
buyer that's had a great experience
over two or three or four years
to come back
and buy another one
and buy the next generation of car
or based on their lifestyle changing
buy a shark
or buy a C-Line 7
so look it's a massively important part
of the business
and we're working really really hard
to get every part of that right
I think people of our age
have seen the car market in Australia
would remember Hyundai coming into the market
and I feel like that early days
of the Hyundai Elantra
and they were selling in big numbers
they were doing good things
I feel like their escalation
to being a top brand in Australia
and a well respected brand
I feel like that's an aspirational pathway
for someone like BYD
do you see yourself in
20 years from now being
a top 3
do you have aspirations to be the number 1
car seller in Australia?
I'm old enough to have experienced
the Hyundai growth
and the growth of the Korean brand
so very much aware of that
for us
it's about being a trusted
it's about being a brand
that takes a leadership position
so right now
I think this year
we'll finish on the sales ladder
7 or 8 there abouts
but certainly in the top 10
so for us it's about continuing to improve
bringing new more models
to the marketplace to fulfill
customer needs
and ultimately
we want to be a leader
leader doesn't always mean being number 1
but whatever we do
we just want to keep improving
and be a really well trusted
well respected brand in Australia
so we're on that journey
we've got enormous growth happening at the moment
but that's our long term vision
so just on that
you're talking about
what the broader plans are for BYD
can you give us a bit of an insight
into what we can expect in
2026 and beyond
well for 2026
we will continue
to bring new
updated models to the market
we'll have more to say about it next year
but we'll be filling some other segments
that we're not currently in
and expanding the line up
of certain models
that are already strong
but we want to make stronger
and I think by the end of
next year
if we weren't somewhere near
the top 3
in terms of the sales ladder
then I think I'd be disappointed
because we just feel that
what we can offer
and particularly the segments
in which we can be really competitive
that's sort of where we're aiming for
so I'm not calling a number
but I feel that that's sort of where
we should be around this time next year
so we'll have a lot more to say about it
early in the year but what
people can expect is
we'll continue bringing lots of
new tech, lots of new models
into the market
and keep growing and keep improving
now before we let you go it would be remiss of me
not to bring up a conversation that we had
on this show 6 months ago
around the Addo 3
wiring, harness, compatibility
with Tesla Chargers it was
essentially very early buyers
in the first run of production of the Addo 3
they couldn't charge it
Tesla's new model superchargers
I understand from contact I've had from people
that's now there's a resolution
available to those customers
and honestly it's a paid
you have to pay as a customer to do it
but it felt like it's a pretty good price
something like 350 bucks
do you feel like that's a good rounding out of
that situation for you guys
yeah look I think so
I think we think that
with that resolve now
you know I think anyone
who has any questions on that is able
to call our customer care centre
so yeah I think it rounds
that issue out for us
look I think that you know I
love that you acknowledge the EV Direct Team
for the way they brought this brand to market
it was an unbelievable
thing for a
feels like it's just a couple of people to do
but Luke Todd and his team
to be able to bring a car to market
and a brand to market that ended up being
so early dominant
and I guess the last thing I want to know
is how do you feel about these huge
number of Chinese brands coming into the market
is it going to be a
situation in five or ten years from now
or even less where it is
only the mighty who sustain
their place in the Australian market
handle the number of brands that we have
let alone are coming
well it's a very interesting question
the Australian market when you look at it
over history and looking forward
roughly is about 1.2 million
units I think the
the OEM count or the brand count now
is probably around 75
so I think there's no question
we were and still continue to be
the most competitive market in the world
look I think what's
good about it is it's great for consumers
you know it really keeps every OEM
on their toes if you don't bring the best product
with great value and great service
to the market then
you're really going to struggle so
look whether everyone survives or not
I don't know what I'm
focusing on is making sure that BYD
is a big part of the
Australian market going forward
and
I think this level
of intense competition is
ultimately great for consumers so
I think that's a good thing
well done to the team locally
well done to the team at the design centre
because they're bloody good looking cars too
that's one of the great things about them
they look good, they drive well
they're packed with tech as you say
you've got a lot to offer them
we can't wait to go back to back in a bunch of your cars
early next year Stephen we really appreciate you
taking the time to talk to us today
and hopefully we can keep in touch throughout 2026
yeah look I'd love to do that
and yeah I appreciate your time fellas
I'm the operating officer of BYD Australia
it's a simple
life I lead it really is
great to chat with Stephen Collins
we appreciate him taking the time
and spells is Stephen correctly too, pH baby
Steven with the pH
in America you'd be Steph
yeah they'd be calling me Stefan
look at that and go your name is Stephen mate
what are you doing
look just seems like a really nice bloke
so glad we could connect
and obviously it's a new era for BYD
after the EV Direct
brought it to market
let's just reflect there for a minute
he said 2026
I feel like he said he's got a top 3 goal
that's huge
you'd think he'd have a top 1 goal
obviously he wants to be the best
top 3 I think that's
that's quite reasonable
what he's suggested that it's
absolutely possible
top 2 even
well you think about how well they did
when the shark came to market big spike in sales
so if they can have that spike for
addo 1 and addo 2 and then throughout the year
continue supply
plus if they can continue to be aggressive on pricing
plus he said they've got more models coming
that they want to plug other markets
so they've got a 7-seater that's already been announced
I think that's a hybrid
popular EV
we talked about that last week in the sales data
but where else are they going to plug a market
they've got a ute
they've got a hatch, they've got a sedan
they can bring in a wagon out
Coupe or something
bring it on
and then there's the secondary
brand which maybe he's
I don't know how the structure works here
but there's dens or something like that
which is their Lexus to Toyota
there's a BYD
so real big vehicles
which I think they'll bring to Australia
but I think again they're hybrid
but I think that's the smart thing from BYD
is you've got to plug the market
you're not going to win this game with just electric
so what they've got 2 now
the C-line 6 is still the hybrid
and the shark
and I believe the C-line 8
is the 7-seater
and I think it's a hybrid
and that's been announced already
I'm sure it has
we'll assume your right
The C-line 8 just according to Google AI
is a 7 seat plug-in hybrid
FEV so early 2026
so yeah that's
something for everyone again as we said at the top of the show
there is something for
younger person, older person
compact
and all along the line
there is and competing
early on remember
they put up models up against Tesla
so they had their seal and they had the others
and that was okay
meeting both of them in the middle
the auto was sort of against the Model Y
the seal was against the 3
but now they're competing against every other brand
and still holding their own
I would say if Tesla was here in front of them as a subject
now even though it might have better sales than someone
it's like way behind them
they're now looking at Kia, Hyundai
Ford, Mazda
they're looking at the non EV brands now
top 3 baby
they're looking at everybody
we'd love to hear your thoughts on
BYD owners
your experience with
which we brought up in the interview
a lot of people who had not the best experience with BYD
a lot of people had a great experience
and most had an excellent experience
but also we've had so many calls and emails
in the last couple of months about the Zika
7X for example
I'm wondering if there's that same excitement around the ATO1
for example so if you're someone
that is all in on the ATO1
and 2 announcements let us know
text or a whatsapp
we'll get you on the show, we'd love to just get that
understanding of what it is that draws you to these cars
how do you find out about them
what makes you make that decision
and we'll talk to you right here on 2Bike Story Electric Cars
we'll do it again next week, Steven what do you reckon?
I'll be right here waiting
why not?
what do you Richard Marks?
About this episode
Trevor Long and Stephen Fennig dive into the recent launch of BYD's Atto 1 and Atto 2, discussing their competitive pricing and positioning in the Australian EV market. They chat with BYD Australia's COO, Stephen Collins, about the brand's rapid growth and plans for 2026. The Atto 1 aims to provide an affordable electric option for city driving, while the Atto 2 targets families. The episode highlights the importance of customer experience and local adaptation in a competitive landscape filled with new EV entrants.
Original notes
This week, Stephen Collins, Chief Operating Officer - BYD Australia & New Zealand joins the Two Blokes.
We talk about the new Atto 1 and Atto 2 and their aggressive pricing.
As well as what the future long and short term is for BYD as a car brand in Australia.
Thanks to NRMA Insurance and Uniden Smart Dashcams, plus, you can be part of the show, thanks to Vodafone, send us a text message on 0477 657 657
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