BYD to Europe is starting!

BYD F6DM(Dynamic Mixes System) : F6e Prototype

Chinese auto makers have seen Europe as the holy grail of car sales, quite the opposite to US and Euro car producers who see China as their make it or break it market. Some Chinese marques have already made it to Europe but found themselves on the receiving end of an entirely negative market, especially once their crash test results were aired all over the world.

BYD have reportedly selected a Dutch automotive dealer to be the sole importer for The Netherlands, Slovakia, The Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary, all of which are due to be getting BYD automobiles once sales start around 2010. BYD claim that by 2009, they will have passed European crash safety standards, and emission standards.

The first models for Europe from BYD are likely to be plug-in hybrid models, such as the BYD F6e, or the BYD F3Re, petrol models are likely to follow later.

This unconvential entry into the European market may well win BYD a few plus points in the traditionally agressive market. Where Brilliance and Landwind failed with their petrol models, perhaps BYD will win an advantage. Oil prices seem to increase at the forecourt daily, and the chance of owning a cheap Chinese hybrid automobile may well be the answer for many European families who see the family car as a transportation tool, rather than a status symbol.

[Source : China Car Times ; Some Images Courtesy of AutoHome China]

Image Gallery : F6DM Prototype of F6e