JAKARTA – The BYD manufacturer is reportedly considering launching their tiny electric car, BYD Seagull, into the British market.
If it is realized, reported by Autocar, July 2, BYD Seagull has the potential to become the cheapest electric car to sell in the UK. In China, this car is priced from a figure equivalent to IDR 152 million, an attractive price for an electric car with a distance of up to 320 km.
Just like in Indonesia, the UK market BYD has launched a trio of models, namely BYD Atto 3, BYD Dolphin, and BYD Seal in England. But in the UK BYD will also soon present the BYD Seal U SUV as its first hybrid car in the UK.
Mark Blundell, Britain’s HEAD of marketing BYD, is enthusiastic about the planned launch of BYD Seagull. He said there is an empty gap under BYD Dolphin (or Dolphin Mini in several countries) that Seagull can fill.
Blundel insists that BYD’s strategy is to “make electric cars affordable for all.”
“Electric cars are not supposed to be only for the rich. We need to have an affordable and accessible electric car, not just those that cost tens to hundreds of millions of rupiah,” he said.
Blundel’s statement was made during the annual celebration of BYD’s presence in the UK. Although it has not set a sales target, BYD – which last year managed to sell more electric cars than other manufacturers including Tesla – has big ambitions in the British market.
They aspire to be able to emulate the success of MG whose sales have shot up in recent years. In the medium term, Blundel wants BYD to be known as a credible brand, with an established network of dealers and infrastructure, as well as part of the UK’s automotive landscape.
For this reason, BYD plans to increase the number of their dealers in the UK from 21 to 60 dealers by next summer. This shows BYD’s seriousness in reaching all over England.
One of BYD’s strategies to reduce costs is to produce many components of its own car and strictly control supply chains. Blundel even said that BYD had just ordered a cargo ship that could load 7,000 cars!
“We control what we can control,” said Blundell.
“We focus on supply chains and logistics, and have a’self-production’ policy for car components,” he explained.
This policy will also be implemented at the new BYD electric car factory in Hungary, Europe, which will start operating next year. Blundel still can’t confirm which models will be produced there.
It’s interesting to wait for whether BYD Seagull will actually launch in the UK and how the market responds to this super cheap electric car.
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