Chinese automaker BYD detailed plans last week for its launch in Europe, which will include three electric vehicles and cover most of the continent’s major markets.
In August, a group of dealers announced plans to sell BYD cars in Sweden and Germany, and the automaker has now confirmed its launch plans in those markets, as well as in Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, followed by France and the UK.
The European launch will consist of the compact crossover BYD Atto 3, the Han sedan, and the three-row Tang crossover. All three use BYD’s latest Blade battery, featuring iron and lithium phosphate (LFP) chemistry, which the automaker has championed.
The Atto 3 is also based on BYD’s 3.0 electric platform, which incorporates 800-volt charging and increased efficiency. While BYD had claimed this new platform would allow up to 600 miles of range, it estimates a more modest 261 miles for the Atto 3, along with 248 miles for the Tang and 324 miles for the Han, on the WLTP European test cycle.
BYD also listed what it calls “pre-sale” prices equivalent to $37,324 for the Atto 3 and $70,719 for the Han and Tang. Preliminary prices for the Han are considerably higher for Europe than when the model first entered the Chinese market in 2020. Final pricing and specifications for European-market models will be revealed at the 2022 Paris Auto Show in October.
BYD also promised an eight-year battery warranty for its European-market models.
If you haven’t heard of BYD, note that the company produced more electric vehicles than any other manufacturer in the world for several consecutive years, but it has now been surpassed by Tesla. The company accumulated those impressive sales figures primarily by catering to its local market; perhaps expanding to Europe will allow it to reclaim the sales crown.
