Ferrari, Rolls-Royce... BYD? Why Chinese EV firm calls Mayfair home
The BYD dealership in Mayfair is operated by Stratstone
New flagship site is a former JLR boutique; EV maker's three models range from £26,000 to £49,000
BYD’s UK launch plan has entered a key phase with the opening of a flagship showroom in the heart of Mayfair – the likes of which are usually reserved for the most prestigious brands around.
The Chinese electric car specialist’s new flagship site is a former JLR boutique on Berkeley Street. A Rolls-Royce dealer is opposite, there are Ferrari and Bentley showrooms on the same road and McLaren, Aston Martin and Porsche are among the other luxury brands with flagship retail spaces nearby.
BYD Mayfair is operated by Stratstone, itself owned by Pendragon – one of the UK’s largest car retail groups, with more than 160 dealerships.
Asked how newcomer BYD – which sells three models in the UK, priced between around £26,000 and £49,000 – merits a presence in such close proximity to these revered marques and a position in the Stratstone portfolio, Kim Costello, Pendragon’s chief marketing officer, told Autocar “it was a no-brainer” to open a Mayfair outlet.
“I think [the new BYD Seal saloon is] a fantastic product,” Costello said. “It combines the future of alternative fuel sourcing – in this case electric – with the style, technology and craftsmanship of a luxury vehicle.”
She added: “When you [as a brand] have a storefront in Mayfair, you kind of know you’ve arrived. I think BYD can hold its own on this street.”
BYD has been producing cars for just 15 years, yet it overtook Tesla as the world’s largest manufacturer of electrified vehicles last year and this August celebrated producing its five millionth electrified vehicle.
Having previously sold the e6 electric MPV in low volume in the UK, BYD has returned with three EVs – the BYD Seal, BYD Atto 3 crossover and BYD Dolphin hatchback – and will launch the Seal U SUV here in 2024.
The brand is on track to quickly establish itself as a credible threat to the likes of Toyota, Ford and Volkswagen in the UK market, but Costello said that recognition is a core objective at this early stage, so the prevailing priority for BYD’s Mayfair location is to introduce the British public to the still generally unfamiliar marque.
“This is the biggest thing,” explained Costello. “BYD is one of the largest car companies in the world, but nobody has heard of it in the UK, because it’s a new entrant.”
As part of this initiative, BYD’s trademark technological innovations are, unusually, placed front and centre in its publicity campaigns in the UK.
“We’re embracing it wholeheartedly,” said Costello of BYD’s technology-focused approach to marketing. She cited the puncture resistance of BYD’s ‘Blade’ batteries and the advanced voice-control functionality of its cars as two demonstrable technological assets that Pendragon can communicate easily to customers.
Quick turnaround times are crucial to BYD’s competitive edge; the Atto 3 and Dolphin reached customers just a few weeks after being confirmed for UK sale and the Seal is on track to arrive this month.
Costello said the company’s scale and efficiency minimises the risk of delays, which was an incentivising factor in Pendragon forming a partnership with it.
“Supply isn’t an issue, which is something that’s very attractive with BYD,” she said.