Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD is deliberately avoiding a price war in South Africa as competition increases in the continent's second-largest auto market, its local managing director told Reuters on Wednesday.
There is a growing influx of new electric, plug-in hybrid, range extender and conventional hybrid car brands into South Africa, many of them from China, offering sharply priced vehicles to win market share in an industry still dominated by internal combustion engines.
Many entrants have relied on launch discounts to boost volumes, but BYD Auto South Africa managing director Steve Chang said the carmaker had chosen a different path.
“We're not chasing numbers, not yet,” Chang said in an interview at the local launch of BYD's ATTO 8 plug-in hybrid SUV.
“We're doing things a little differently, slower in other people's opinion. But we're trying to build a brand.”
South Africa's electric vehicle market is still nascent
For the first time since launching, BYD has published its monthly sales figures, showing it sold 589 units in March, slightly behind Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis and outperforming established legacy brands like Volvo.
South Africa's new energy vehicle market is still in its early stages, but sales are growing from a low base, rising 7.1% to 16,716 units in 2025 as hybrid and plug-in models gain momentum.
Chang said frequent price cuts could weaken resale value. “We don't want to give our people too much leeway because we care about the buyers first, we care about the registry value of the vehicle, we care about the brand value,” he said.
Instead, BYD has focused on what Chang described as “price parity,” offering electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles at prices comparable to gasoline or diesel models, rather than relying on promotions.
Its newly launched seven-seat ATTO 8 SUV is priced at just over 1 million rand ($61,046).
The Chinese EV giant is set to enter South Africa in 2023 as part of its wider global expansion. Chang said the company has focused first and foremost on educating consumers about the BYD brand and electric vehicle technology more broadly.
“We spend a lot of money and resources in market education,” he said. “We are very patient. We know we need to work with the pace of South Africa, introducing the product step by step.”
