BYD has a big name in the world, but in Indonesia it could be different. Compared to other company names, BYD does not seem familiar to the public.
There are still many of them who don’t know that BYD is actually a big player in the automotive world. Until now BYD is the largest manufacturer of electrified vehicles in the world.
In total, 6 million production cars have come out of BYD’s production center in China. These cars are available in all countries in Indonesia, including Indonesia.
Yes, in Indonesia, because it turns out that several vehicles made by BYD already exist in Indonesia. At least the Indonesian people have felt it when they tried the BYD e6 and BYD T3 electric taxis, which are Bluebird’s mainstay.
Likewise with BYD electric buses used by Transjakarta since 2020 and BYD Forklift electric fork trucks.
“So, actually Indonesia is not a foreign country to us,” added President Director of PT BYD Motor Indonesia Eagle Zhao.
The presence of these vehicles actually turns out to be BYD’s strategy in Indonesia. Eagle Zhao said that BYD Indonesia carried out intensive studies and investigations to truly understand the Indonesian automotive market.
“We have done many things: road tests, behavior studies, and infrastructure research such as charging facilities. “This is to get accurate data,” he said.
This effort makes BYD seem to be not moving under the covers. This is different from other Chinese car manufacturers who immediately openly invest and continue with vehicle production efforts.
This step was actually taken to finalize BYD’s plans to enter Indonesia in full force. Based on data and research conducted by BYD itself, 2024 is the right time to be more intense in the Indonesian automotive market.
They have prepared many plans, including releasing a number of electric car models and their ecosystem to compete in the local market.
This was confirmed by General Manager of BYD Asia-Pacific Auto Sales Division Liu Xueliang in a press conference at BYD’s head office located in Pingshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, recently.
“We confirm that (BYD) will enter the Indonesian market in the first semester of 2024. Just waiting for the right time,” said Liu Xueliang.
Liu said that the company, which targets selling 3 million battery vehicles throughout 2023, will enter the national automotive market in the passenger car segment.
Even though they don’t want to reveal what cars will be brought to the local market, there are likely to be 3 models that will be marketed. Namely BYD Seal (sedan), BYD Dolphin (hatchback), and BYD Atto 3 (SUV/crossover). All of them are electric vehicles (battery electric vehicle/BEV).
Liu Xueliang confirmed that BYD will enter the Indonesian market in full force. This means that they don’t just sell electric cars.
However, it also wants to bring the electric vehicle ecosystem: building a car factory, battery factory, as well as an electric vehicle supporting ecosystem and technology that will enter Indonesia.
“Electrification in Indonesia is only a matter of time. “As the heart of ASEAN and a growing population of 280 million people, Indonesia is very important to us,” he said.
“The idea is to provide a sustainable ecosystem (sustainable development), one of which is electric vehicles,” he added.
Meanwhile, General Manager of BYD Asia-Pacific Auto Sales Division, Liu Xueliang, said that BYD did not want to be careless when entering Indonesia. This is different from Thailand, where they took quick action in the market. Mainly regarding the regulation of electric vehicle incentives.
“We looked at existing government regulations. “Thai government policies support us to invest more quickly,” he said.
On the other hand, Li admitted that he continues to monitor Indonesian government regulations. “The speed at which we penetrate the market depends on how confident the government’s policies are. “From this policy, we determine the market strategy, momentum and models that will be brought to Indonesia,” he said.
