THE ATL Automotive Group on Monday extended its footprint into the autodealers market, announcing it is now the exclusive dealer for Chinese electric vehicle (EV) brand BYD in the Caribbean.

The company launched the brand in a short ceremony at the AC Hotel Kingston — outlining it will start with six models and is now taking orders — and said the vehicles will be distributed by ATL Automotive as of October 2023.

“Earlier this month, after a comprehensive 18-month tender process, I am delighted to announce that ATL Automotive signed an exclusive agreement with BYD to become the regional master dealers for the brand in Jamaica as well as nine countries throughout the Caribbean,” Adam Stewart, executive chairman of the ATL Automotive Group, told the audience in attendance.

“ATL Automotive assumes direct control of the sales and aftersales of BYD in Jamaica and [will be] playing a regional management role in an additional nine other countries: Trinidad and Tobago, Cayman, Curacao, Barbados, Aruba, Antigua, Saint Lucia, Guyana and Suriname,” Stewart continued.

He said ATL Automotive decided to tap the “pure player” electric vehicle manufacturer to distribute BYD’s products because it is the future of the automotive industry and one in which the Shenzen, China-based company excels.

“Driving innovation through technology, is a sincere commitment from BYD which provides safe and appealing solutions to reduce pollution from carbon emissions and address the issue of climate change, supporting the initiative to Cool the Earth by 1 degree celcius. The green dream has long been a priority for BYD and is the vision for the future,” Neva Zhang, BYD country manager of Caribbean and Central American Countries said.

“Everything we do starts with the belief in the product,” Stewart told the Jamaica Observer after the announcement that ATL Automotive will now be distributing the cars in the region.

“There are many electric [vehicle] brands out there so we set out to really determine who we want to partner with. So, every single brand that we represent — from BMW to Kia to Porsche to Honda — has been hand-picked; we believe that we represent the best of the best brands that are out there. We are in the business for the long term. Ultimately, it’s about the Jamaican consumer, the Caribbean consumer,” he said.

“From a portfolio of products we believe we have the diamonds that are out there. When you move into the EVs now, which is a brand new space, we want to make sure that we end up with the absolute best of EVs.”

Stewart said he believes the brand will do well in Jamaica and the rest of the region. And while he stayed away from offering any sales forecasts he pointed to the success of the KIA-branded vehicles, since ATL Automotive acquired the distribution rights in the island, as an indication of the kind of impact his group could have on BYD’s distribution in the region.

“ATL is not trying to onboard multiple brands — we are trying to onboard the best brands that we believe are the future. You can look at the success of the KIA brand. Since we took it over it has grown to over 20 per cent market share in Jamaica, in a brand that was not properly represented in the past,” he said, citing that with proper facilities, proper arrangements such as banking, and a team behind it, the brand has grown.

“To be as powerful as the ATL Automotive Group is in the automotive solutions business and not have a pure-play EV brand and a brand that has an affordable price point as well as build quality, that was an opportunity for us.”

He said as regional master distributor, ATL Automotive will draw on the experiences it has garnered from having a similar arrangement with BMW, in which it manges the both the BMW and Mini brands in the region.

“For me that’s unbelievably proud to showcase Jamaican talent running a regional business for BYD out of Kingston, Jamaica,” Stewart added.

The first showroom is to be opened at the AC Hotel Kingston as an ‘experience centre’ adjacent to the BMW showroom. Another is to be built in Montego Bay, with both expecting to cost “in the region of US$3 million to US$4 million,” Stewart told the Business Observer.

“We are going to be building out ten showrooms within the next 18 to 24 months across the Caribbean, through a master distributor/dealer relationship. We already have a multitude of partners with BMW and Mini throughout the Caribbean so we are going to be running a tender process to see who is the best to represent the brand outside of what we (ATL) will operate; and we will operate in Trinidad and Tobago through a joint venture with our partners, and in Jamaica we will build our showrooms both in Montego Bay and Kingston. So, we will have full sales and after-sales facilities, and we’ve already nominated and chosen the team that will be representing BYD — and its an all star team,” he pointed out.

“Aside from how exciting it will be to introduce the models officially to the market, it represents another opportunity to reinforce our position as the Caribbean’s leading automotive company, with a true footprint from The Bahamas right down to the top of South America.”

Founded in 1995, BYD has rapidly become one of the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturers, with a range of models that include passenger cars, buses, and trucks. In addition to electric vehicles, BYD also produces energy storage systems and solar panels, which are used in residential, commercial, and utility-scale applications.

In 2022 it was claimed in a news report that BYD surpassed Tesla for the world’s most electric vehicle sales.

Zhang noted ,”Over the past 28 years, through strong market layout and strategic measures, BYD has showcased a massive “acceleration” in the new energy vehicle industry, facilitating the rapid transition of global green mobility. From the first new energy vehicle to the 1 millionth new energy vehicle in 13 years and from 1 million to 2 million in just 1 year and from 2 million to 3 million in just 6 months.”

She pointed out that last year, BYD officially announced to stop the production of full combustion engine vehicles and focus on battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).

“Up to now, our new energy vehicles are in service in over 70 countries and in 6 continents, for more than ten years. As of today, BYD has sold more than 4.3 million new electric vehicles (NEVs) on a cumulative basis,” she added.

In the recently published 2023 Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands Report, BYD emerges as the only Chinese automaker to secure a coveted position among the top 10 in the automotive category, boasting a brand value exceeding US$10 billion.

The company has gained global recognition for its advanced battery technology, which is used not only in its own electric vehicles but also in other applications such as energy storage systems and portable electronic devices. BYD has also received numerous awards for its commitment to sustainability and environmental protection.