TOKYO, Japan: China's BYD Co's said it would start selling its first electric vehicles in Japan early next year.
China's BYD, in which American Berkshire Hathaway owns a stake, said it would roll out ATTO 3, an electric sports utility vehicle in Japan starting January 31, with a cruising distance of 485 kilometers and costing $32,735. Nissan Motor Co's electric Leaf standard model has a cruising range of 322 kilometers and costs about $27,000.
The company said that BYD's Japan outlets are set to introduce two more models by the end of 2023 and open more than 100 dealerships in Japan by the end of 2025.
In Japan, gasoline-electric hybrid models are more popular than electric vehicles. The share of battery-driven vehicles is expected to grow due to non-Japanese automakers like Volkswagen and BYD making their way into the market.
"BYD's Japan division plans to set up tentative retailers in 22 cities starting late January, but is eager to cover all 47 prefectures," said Atsuki Tofukuji, BYD Auto Japan Inc chief executive.
He said that we hope that we can make our presence felt little by little as we work toward carbon neutrality and our customers demand a variety of choices.