BYD hits Electric Car Milestone as Aussie bound cars enter production

Newcomer to the Aussie car market BYD has hit two major milestones as a brand with the end of combustion engine vehicle production coming at the same time as right-hand drive vehicles destined for Australian buyers commence production.

The car-maker not known to many in Australia announced today they had ended “ICE” (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicle production in March, in doing so, becoming the first car manufacturer in the world to fully transition from ICE to Electric.

Of course newer companies like Tesla, Fisker and more are starting out as Electric car brands, but BYD’s transition to electric is a milestone for both the company and the global auto market.

At the same time, Aussie buyers are starting to receive updates on their orders, with vehicles now tagged as “In Production”.

With well over 1,500 orders in place, EFTM understands BYD has commenced production of 5,000 cars which will head down under over the coming few months.

Delivery estimates of July are still well on track for those who first put their money down last month when orders for the BYD Atto 3 commenced.

Logistically, there’s a long way to go, with shipping to Australia, clearing customs and then distribution out to all the delivery points yet to be proven – but, where there’s a will there’s a way.

Prospective owners are certainly keen, sharing their production updates online, both in the EFTM Man Cave and on twitter:

As local importer EV Direct boss Luke Todd told EFTM recently, the company will be reporting their local sales via the industry recognised VFACTS so we expect those numbers to drop in July for the very first cars into Australia, with some possibility an initial run of cars will hit Australia for testing and evaluation in June.