China’s BYD has rolled out its third electric car in Japan as it tries to find traction in a market dominated by hybrids and domestic brands.
The Seal electric sedan went on sale Tuesday for ¥5.28 million ($33,100) with a battery capacity of 82 kilowatt hours, the company said, with a discount for the first 1,000 units sold.
An all-wheel drive model will cost 6.05 million yen.
BYD’s sales have been tepid since entering the Japanese passenger car market, where the company is facing a resurgence in the popularity of hybrids and loyalty to domestic brands like Toyota.
BYD registered just 2,206 new vehicles in 2023, far fewer than the 34,000 sales of Nissan’s Sakura, the country’s most popular electric car.
Overall, the automaker’s sales in Japan fell 26% in April from a year earlier, and 28% in May.
The Seal’s price in Japan is close to that of Tesla’s Model 3, which costs about ¥5.3 million.
The petrol version of Toyota’s popular Corolla is available for ¥2 million.
Building a presence in countries like Japan is becoming increasingly important as Chinese EV manufacturers face increasing hostility in North America and Europe.
The US has imposed tariffs of more than 100% on Chinese electric vehicles, effectively banning them from entering the country, and Canada plans to follow suit.
The EU has proposed raising duties on Chinese electric cars to 48% later this year.
“We want to become a leader in electric vehicle imports in Japan,” Atsuki Tofukuji, president of BYD Auto Japan, told reporters in Tokyo, adding that the company plans to release a new model in Japan every year to roll.
BYD is now active in 55 locations across the island.
The goal is to reach 90 by the end of 2024 and 100 by the end of 2025.
