BYD F3DM is heading for personal sales
Originally the BYD F3DM was only available to company and government fleets, but now it is being pushed towards the personal buyer. BYD is planning to advertise the BYD F3DM as a low carbon emissions vehicle and is hoping that it will be taken up by environmentally aware buyers here in China, the F3DM will officially go on sale to private buyers on March 29th 2010.
This shows that despite earlier announcements, BYD is pushing ahead with plans for an electric car future and expects the demand to be quite high now that the government are offering subsidies to bring hybrid and pure electric cars down to a reasonable pricing range.
Prices for the F3DM were initially announced as being from 150,000rmb to 160,000rmb.
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BYD’s F3DM sales target for the first year 2009, was 10,000, later reduced to 3,000 to 4,000. That year ended with 62 units total. And here you are telling us that the plan to sell to private buyers last September never materialized, and so those were apparently all fleet sales.
As for the electric car future, Bloomberg News last week reported that BYD Co. has given up a plan to mass produce electric cars in China by the middle of this year.
The highly acclaimed battery part of BYD seems to be taking longer than expected to get off the ground.
The problem here (I think) isn’t so much the car itself (the normal F3 is a smash success and the top selling car in China right now), but the fact that there is no sense or urgency or need for this car by the consumer – and that is the fault of the various authorities (local and national) and the media. The sad fact is, the average consumer in China simply isn’t aware of the importance of global warming or the need to conserve energy resources – because it’s not daily news like it is in the western world. LOTS of people want to buy cars, and all the companies are lining up to sell them…….but nobody seems to tell these people that they are CONTRIBUTING to the problem instead of being the answer to it. No one wants to slow down the economic machine here……people still leave windows open while their air conditioners/heaters are operating because they want fresh air, for god sakes! My city (Nanning) is known as “the green city” in China, but not for the reason you might think – we have year round green trees and plants here. Imagine if Nanning were to use their slogan to teach people here about energy conservation and things like hybrid/electric cars…..but NO – they are ignoring and missing a huge opportunity here. Now, reflect this overall attitude nationwide……..and you start to see why there is simply NO demand for a car like the F3DM yet.
One more reason (and a more direct one right now) – it is still too expensive for the average consumer. Get the car down to the 100,000rmb (or slightly below) price range and THEN you will see increased interest. Who wants a hybrid F3DM at 150,000rmb when you can have a Golf, Buick Yinglang, mid-level Corolla, etc? BUT, at the 100,000rmb range you are competing with the Fit, Polo, Roewe 350, etc…..and NOW the F3DM becomes a viable alternative. Another thing…….WHY is the F3DM 250% higher in cost than the normal F3DM? The normal F3 is about 60,000rmb – for comparison the top line Honda Civic (sedan) in America is about $23,000 USD – the hybrid Civic starts at $23,000 USD with a top price of $27,000. I know we can talk about economy of scale, but 60,000rmb compared to 150,000rmb is just TOO much of a difference – period. Come on BYD – take a little loss on the F3Dm right now, sell it to the consumer at a REASONABLE price (which will help build interest and desire in the product) – and when they’re lining up to buy them in a year or two, you’ll make PLENTY of money then.
The BYD F3DM is not expensive in the first place, and there is also a reason why there is a 60,000 dollar cash giveback from the government for green vehicles. There is plenty of awareness in China about global warming, which is one of the reasons why the government is doing so much and striving to be number one in green technology. I just read online that top singers in China are calling for everyone to turn off their lights for earth day, and so far, 250,000 people have replied to just one thread and said that they would turn off their lights.
Great news, it should get a lot more sales with the government pushing to be more green.
Thanks, joninchina. For us abroad, this type of information is very interesting. So we should challenge the Nanning authorities to live up to its green city slogan.
I think the F3DM could be a hit here in Europe, provided it fulfills all the basic requirements regarding reliability and safety. And provided Toyota would continue its relaxed attitude to IPR infringements (which they should – there is too much energy going into lawsuits in this world).
KAA, please don’t get me wrong…..living in China is actually quite pleasant, and I consider myself lucky to enjoy such a fruitful career here. The mere fact that the F3DM is even AVAILABLE to the general consumer is a amazing thing…..how many other plug-in hybrids are available right now elsewhere in the world? What needs to happen now is a concentrated PR campaign to educate the consumer on the advantages of energy conservation, and how every little bit helps. People simply need to understand that if you have a choice, and if you don’t REALLY need that V6 or V8 power or the brawn of a SUV – that a hybrid really is a better thing for the world, and helping to make the world a better place for our children in the future. I truly do admire the chinese tradition of love and devotion to the welfare of their children, so maybe that’s the way to target the average citizen – convince them that energy conservation really is helping to give their children a better world. Hey BYD, are you listening? THERE is your slogan for the F3DM……”giving our world a better future”.
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You can read my test drive of this car at http://www.markeaandrews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/SCMP-BYD-F3DM.pdf