MONTEGO BAY, St James — Fireworks lit up the night sky at Bogue City Centre here Friday as potential patrons gathered for the grand opening of the BYD showroom to see first-hand the vehicles from the Chinese electric automaker, which are now on full display for purchase in the western city, thanks to ATL Automotive.

Among them was reggae veteran Maxi Priest.

“It’s great; it’s amazing, very progressive. I think it’s a great idea,” he said about the showroom as he spoke to the Jamaica Observer.

“I would encourage people to support this, definitely. It just makes sense, all around — the atmosphere, everything,” he added.

Maxi Priest also suggested that vehicles such as the BYD models could benefit people in other Caribbean countries, therefore, they should be considered as a proper option for car buyers.

“It’s actually better on the islands than it is in the major countries, because at least the mileage… the distance… battery and all of that, makes a lot more sense in the Caribbean,” he suggested.

The state-of-the-art showroom was at capacity as event-goers rubbed shoulders while checking out the various features and functionalities of the vehicles on display.

Among the features was a unique karaoke function that allows for individuals to pull up at a given point, grab a microphone from the vehicle and belt out a few tunes.

This feature was showcased by none other than executive chairman for the ATL Group, Adam Stewart, who joined team members of the BYD brand as they did a rendition of Maxi Priest’s
Wild World to much applause.

Stewart spoke about other benefits of owning one of the BYD vehicles.

“These cars have range in excess of 1,000 kilometres on a single charge, and probably more important is that the rapid chargers will charge 80 per cent of the battery within 30 minutes, but within 10 minutes you can get 200 kilometres,” he told the Observer.

“It can take 10 minutes to fill up your car at the gas station,” he added in comparison.

Stewart, who is also executive chairman of the Observer, said he understood that some people may have concerns about accessing EV charging stations, but that is something that has improved significantly over time.

“What’s amazing and what’s probably most misunderstood is, Jamaica has 70 charging stations around the island,” he said.

Stewart spoke about the partnership with BYD, which sees ATL Automotive managing the brand, including in 10 other Caribbean countries.

“It’s the number one new energy brand in the entire world, ahead of Tesla, ahead of every major manufacturer — GM, Chevy, you name it — it is the most fascinating product,” he told those in attendance at the opening of the showroom.

He also acknowledged the support that the brand has been getting, as well as the other brands under the ATL Automotive portfolio, in particular what has happened since they kicked things off nearly two decades ago in St James.

“When we announced right here, 17 years ago, that we were going to open car dealerships here in Montego Bay, everybody said it wouldn’t work and our vision at the time was that we could have world-class brands, backed up with world-class service from the ATL team.

“Montego Bay has consistently grown, year after year, and it is just the most fascinating place that we live in, that we call our home, and it’s the most amazing community,” he added.

“I just want to thank Jamaica for the incredible support that they’ve shown us over the… years, “ he added in a sidebar with the Observer.

The showroom unveiled on Friday is the largest one dedicated to the BYD brand so far, but that could change soon, according to Stewart.

“It is, at the moment, but a new showroom is coming in Kingston for BYD as well,” he said.

Reggae veteran Maxi Priest and ATL Group Executive Chairman Adam Stewart share a moment during Friday’s official opening event for the BYD showroom in Montego Bay, St James.

Executive chairman of the ATL Group Adam Stewart (right) shows off one of the BYD models in the Montego Bay showroom with head of business at BYD Sloane Jackson.

One of the BYD models that had patrons drooling on Friday at the official opening of the showroom in Montego Bay, St James.