Thousands of Jamaicans flocked to National Arena in St Andrew for the second-ever ATL Automotive Revolution Auto Show, held Friday, November 17 through Sunday, November 19, to witness all the ATL Automotive Group had to offer.

“It’s only right that the ATL Automotive Group hosts a truly incredible event designed to excite the public about all that’s good in the present and the future of the car industry here in Jamaica,” said Adam Stewart, executive chairman, ATL Automotive Group, at the media event ahead of the show’s Friday evening opening.

Among the show’s main attractions was the launch of the ATL Automotive Group’s latest acquisition — the number one electric vehicle (EV) brand in the world, Build Your Dreams (BYD).

ATL Automotive had announced on June 25 that it had become regional master dealer for the all-electric Chinese brand.

“For all of us at ATL, today marks not only a simple launch of this brilliant, new, and incredible car brand, but it signals another significant strategic step in our own vision of becoming the Caribbean’s greatest automotive company,” said Stewart, who is also executive chairman of this newspaper.

Neva Zhang, country manager of Caribbean and Central American Countries, BYD, reiterated her belief that BYD is the right brand at the right time for Jamaica and the Caribbean.

“The Caribbean is a very beautiful region with beautiful sea views, beautiful islands with a lot of things to do and matches the vision that we have as BYD to offer a solution to green transportation in the region,” she said.

Both Sloane Jackson, head of business, BYD Jamaica, and Courtney Smith, sales manager, BYD Jamaica, were more than happy to show off the brand’s models at their booth, several of which were already sold. Jackson said pre-sales interest in BYD and across the ATL Automotive Group in general proves that Jamaicans are ready for transport electrification.

The BYD model line-up opens with the Dolphin at just under $7 million. Joining the Dolphin on display were the Han, the Tang, the Yuan Plus, and the e6, which patrons could explore to their heart’s content.

While BYD might be the new kid on the ATL Automotive Group block, it was MINI which paved the EV way. The all-electric MINI SE was on display with Melissa Bailey, sales manager, MINI Jamaica, bullish on the future as they prepare to unleash new plug-in and EV models in 2024, including an EV version of the best-selling Countryman SUV.

BMW Jamaica used the show to debut its electrified offerings, starting with the BMW i5 sedan and the iX3, the EV trim of the popular X3 SUV. Lurking next to them was the hybrid BMW XM.

Audi was not to be outdone, having the RS e-Tron GT and Q8 e-Tron SUV on hand.

The recently launched all-electric Taycan was missing from the Porsche booth, not that it mattered as the 911 GT3 RS took the bulk of the attention from the e-hybrid Panamera.

The only German brand in the ATL Automotive Group stable not yet on the all-electric train was Volkswagen. Jhanelle Wagstaffe, senior sales manager, VW, explained that they are looking to bring the id models to Jamaican shores as soon as they are available for the region.

This theme was similar for the Asian brands under the ATL Automotive Group’s umbrella — Honda and Kia. Honda recently introduced its first hybrid, the HR-V, and according to Vasil Lee, assistant general manager, Honda Kingston, the CR-V hybrid, will join next year. As for Kia, Kevin Jackson, senior sales manager, KIA, explained that they already have exciting EV models ahead for 2024.