It’s by the stand of the Chinese manufacturer BYD (pronounced “bi-ouaille-di”) that Michaela and Günther, two retired Germans, have chosen to start their tour of the motor show, which takes place from September 5 to 10, in downtown Munich. Their exploration begins at Place de l’Odéon, in front of the equestrian statue of Louis 1er of Bavaria, by a sporty blue-gray sedan, with fluid shapes inspired by marine mammals: the Seal (“seal”, in English). It is, of course, all-electric.
“We wanted to see these cars”explains Günther. “The BYD group, we follow it on the stock market, it’s worth a lot more than Volkswagen now”, he continues, pointing to the stand opposite. After sitting behind the wheel of the Seal, then the smaller Dolphin, he doesn’t hide his surprise: “They are very European! » No wonder, their designer is called Wolfgang Egger. He is German and has led the styling of Audi and Lamborghini. The price also intrigues the couple: “Much cheaper…” BYD knows this.
On Monday, September 4, at Professionals Day in Munich’s large exhibition center, Michael Shu, BYD’s Managing Director for Europe, ended his presentation of the Seal by pointing to a giant screen where the price stood. displayed: 46,990 euros for the sedan version, with 570 kilometers of autonomy displayed. The Dolphin, with a range of 427 kilometers, is sold at 33,990 euros.
For comparison, Renault’s Megane E-Tech, which has a range of 300 kilometers (the smallest model), starts at 38,000 euros. “Nothing to say, it’s a success”sighs a Bosch engineer while examining in detail the trunk and the finishes of the car.
Europe, a coveted market
BYD, founded in 1995 and long specialized in the production of batteries, has risen to the rank of the world’s leading manufacturer of electrified vehicles (100% electric and hybrid), hot on the heels of Tesla for all-electric cars. “And the creator of this miracle is before you”, launched Michael Shu. The discreet founder of the Chinese giant, Wang Chuanfu, 57, made the trip to Munich, sitting in the front row.
“It’s a new world”notes Thomas Schäfer, the general manager of the Volkswagen brand, who pretends not to be surprised. “It was always clear that the Chinese competition would one day arrive in Europe: it is the most profitable market they can bet on. » After Republican Donald Trump, Democrat Joe Biden, with the Inflation Reduction Act, closed the North American market.
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