BYD senior management to visit India, looks to strengthen presence

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant BYD Co is preparing to deepen its presence in India as relations between New Delhi and Beijing are getting better. According to a Bloomberg report, BYD’s India Managing Director Ketsu Zhang, will be visiting India in the coming months. Zhang is expected to meet government officials and inspect the company's local passenger vehicle plant.

 

Due to easing travel restrictions, the company has also started applying for visas for the senior managers and engineers. This will help the carmaker service machinery and restart training programs. India resumed the issuance of visas for Chinese citizens in July this year, after a five-year suspension in 2020 due to the pandemic and ongoing tensions during the Galwan Valley clashes. The thawing relations will provide BYD a chance to strengthen its presence in the world's most populous country.

BYD to bring cheaper models

BYD recently reached the milestone of servicing 10,000 customers in India. The carmaker currently offers eMAX 7, Atto 3, Seal, and Sealion 7 models in the country. However, it is planning to launch the Atto 2 compact electric SUV early next year, making it one of its cheapest offerings in India and placing it alongside local competitors such as Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra.

 

According to the report, BYD—the fourth-largest electric carmaker in India by sales—plans to price the Atto 2 under ₹20 lakh, despite a 70 per cent local duty imposed on imported cars to penetrate the mass market segment. The company is also looking to secure a regulatory approval for roadworthiness that would help it import more vehicles than the current quota of 2,500 cars a year. 

 

Meanwhile, BYD's proposal to set up a manufacturing base in India has already been rejected once. In July 2023, the carmaker submitted a $1 billion investment proposal to build electric cars and batteries in partnership with a local company.

Global leaders eye India presence

Global players are increasingly looking at India to strengthen their footprint. Vietnamese auto major VinFast Auto last week launched the VF6, a compact SUV and its most affordable model in the country, priced from ₹16.5 lakh. A subsidiary of Vietnam’s largest conglomerate, Vingroup JSC, VinFast manufactures its vehicles at its facility in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, which currently has a capacity of 50,000 units. The company intends to expand this to 150,000 units in a second phase.

 

Meanwhile, Tesla is also deepening its presence in India by opening retail outlets. Its retail network includes experience centres in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex and Delhi’s Aerocity (Worldmark 3), with another showroom planned in Gurugram. These stores showcase the Model Y, Tesla’s only offering in India at present, which continues to be imported from China.