BYD’s New Zealand stocks have quickly risen from total unknown to household name in very short time. Now, the brand is set to take on the best from Japan and Europe – hitching its ambitions to its growing range of electric vehicles. 

At last week’s launch of the brand’s second new nameplate to the local market, the Dolphin, BYD brand manager Warren Willmot outlined the company’s lofty goals to become a lead player in the hatchback space and to become the number one electric car seller in New Zealand. 

“BYD is changing the automotive landscape, and also the world. [The Dolphin] signals the tipping point of EV uptake and the end of Japanese dominance in the internal combustion engine small hatchback market,” said Willmot. 

“I imagine there are probably a few auto executives out there in Tokyo, Paris, Detroit, and Wolfsburg, who are starting to have nightmares right about now. Whereas, we are starting to put dreams in driveways.” 

The launch of the Dolphin comes after the successful introduction of the Atto 3 in 2022, the first BYD sold in New Zealand and Australia. The Atto 3 has been a strong seller in New Zealand, becoming the best-selling EV in the country across Q1 of 2023.