I wonder why BYD is pricing their cars so high? Aren't they afraid they will prove themselves out of the market?
New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) in China
- Thread starter supercat
- Start date
They won't sell well in Germany if that's the case. Who would pick a BYD over a Benz GLC. I wouldn't even lol.
Okay these are totally apples and oranges but still. What sort of prices are we talking about? A Benz GLC is quite expensive. How is a BYD mid size sedan comparable? A FAW Hongqi E-HS9 isn't that much more than a top spec GLC without going into proper AMG territory. It is also full electric and has so many more features and premium qualities than a BYD.
Okay these are totally apples and oranges but still. What sort of prices are we talking about? A Benz GLC is quite expensive. How is a BYD mid size sedan comparable? A FAW Hongqi E-HS9 isn't that much more than a top spec GLC without going into proper AMG territory. It is also full electric and has so many more features and premium qualities than a BYD.
Yes when the product is exceptional and in the class leading category - NIO, XPeng, Hongqi, HiPhi-Z, and many, many, many others. BYD has always been a bit more plain jane, mass market stuff. Their battery tech is industry leading along with CATL but other car makers buy and use BYD and CATL batteries.
If one compares BYD's main lineup with NIO or Polestar, or any other established premium maker from Germany, one would find the BYD slightly lacking in trim and design at least. The mechanics, technologies, electronics etc are possibly as good.
When you are in an energy crisis and your neighbours are already lining up for gas (i.e., France), your top priority isn't "does this car feel premium", it is how quickly can I pick up this EV. A premium EV reservation is of no good if the user can't make it past this winter.
BYD has what other EV makers don't have, capacity.
BYD has what other EV makers don't have, capacity.
BYD isn't the only guy around with affordable EVs. In fact if an entry level luxury sedan is priced above a Merc GLC, then it's not even really an affordable car by any stretch of the imagination.
Ford has EV options, GM brands have EV options, there are several dozen Chinese brands with EV options. BMW, VW, Mercedes, Hyundai, KIA, even Toyota (made with BYD) have EV options.
It's never a good idea to enter a market and then find out your brand is less popular and then have to take a massive shit on your supporters who bought your car in the market and find the value decreasing as you adjust your prices to reflect better strategies.
When Infiniti came to Australia they marketed and priced their cars to the same categories as Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes. They barely sold into the double digits for years. Then proceeded to mark down prices where the same car sold for $100,000 was MSRPed for $80,000, then $70,000, then bust and left. The original people who bought in at $100,000 would never touch an Infiniti again.
There's smart and there's arrogance. BYD simply is not a premium product asking for a premium price. Asking for higher price than a GLC is absolute insanity.
I imagine this to be import duties and protection policies in various European countries. Otherwise the BYD should be a $20,000 USD to $30,000 USD car.
BYD is on the market where I live and has been available. I see many more Polestars (an example of an expensive and lower volume seller) than I see BYDs. Hyundai EVs and Teslas make the the vast majority of EVs. The only Chinese EV being sold where I am is BYD and Polestar. Clearly your delivery theory is not accurate otherwise every other new EV being taken onto the road would not be a Hyundai or Tesla... but they are.
Sure this is a small western market and a relatively unimportant one where the volumes of EVs sold do not even come close to a single city in China. The thing is some of the BYD hype is a bit too out of proportion. Their tech is great and industry leading, the hype for their cars is simply too much. They DON'T deliver faster than others (in fact here in Aus they've had setbacks with the importer) and they aren't offering better cars. They are offering similar cars with class leading battery tech for 20% less or so but my posts were about the apparent price of BYD in Europe. Just can't imagine many western consumers preferring to spend more money on a BYD sedan than a Merc GLC... which btw is a popular and decent car (not for the money though!). I'd have assumed the BYD sedan would be around half the price of a new mid spec GLC. Someone said the BYD is more expensive than that in Germany.
The EV that I could take delivery of soonest in Australia would be a Tesla from Giga Shanghai. Followed by some VW models which are extremely unpopular and then followed by various Hyundais. Further down that list of delivery readiness is BYD. Now of course that's due to factors which have nothing to do with BYD but point is what you're saying about delivery times is just not true for this market and possibly many others.
The reality is that EV buyers are not cross shopping with regular cars. Why can Tesla get away with taking out park assist from their cars which has been a standard feature in premium cars and trims for 20 years?
Mustang Mach E and Hyundai Ioniq 5 are also at the GLC price range.