BYD – the Shenzhen-headquartered vehicle manufacturer sometimes referred to as “China’s Tesla” – will launch its lowest-model to date, the Atto 1, in South Africa next month, at an expected price point of below R400 000.
That’s according to a report by CarMag, which recently travelled to China with BYD. Though it said the firm is “tight-lipped” about the likely price of the Atto 1 – known as the Dolphin Mini or Dolphin Surf in other markets – CarMag cited Chinese reports suggesting that BYD hopes to launch the model in South Africa for less than R400 000.
That would put it in contention for the title of most affordable electric car in South Africa, potentially matching the price of the (until now) cheapest EV locally, the Dayun S5 from Enviro Automotive – the same company launching the luxury Riddara electric bakkie in South Africa. (Look out for an exclusive test-drive of the Riddara in episode 2 of TechCentral’s new motoring show, Watts & Wheels, out this Monday.)
According to CarMag, the Atto 1 will come equipped with BYD’s blade battery system and will come in several versions, offering ranges of 220km, 322km and 310km.
BYD is aggressively expanding its presence in South Africa, with the company’s South Africa GM, Steve Chang, telling Reuters last month that it plans almost to triple its dealership network here by next year as it looks to grow its market share in the country.
BYD’s move comes at a time of growing competition in Africa’s largest automotive market, where sales of new energy vehicles are rising and other Chinese companies — such as GAC, Chery and GWM — are also making inroads.
“By the end of the year, we will have about 20 dealerships around the country. The aim is to expand that to about 30, 35 in the next year,” Chang said.
Six models
BYD currently offers six models in the South African market, with its plug-in hybrid Shark 6 bakkie, hybrid Sealion 6 and pure electric Sealion 7 SUV models launched in April, completing its hybrid and electric dual-powertrain strategy.
The dealership expansion will help BYD become a better-known brand and capture more buyers across a country that is slowly transitioning to electrified vehicles.
Read: Major new electric car brand launching in South Africa
In 2024, sales of new energy vehicles — a term that describes battery-powered fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid cars — rose to 15 611 units from 7 782 units in 2023, according to data from industry body Naamsa.
While the share of NEVs to total car sales is still low, BYD is hoping to capture the market early on, in preparation for a meaningful transition, Chang said. “We want to educate and cultivate the market of South Africa and make sure that the South African consumers can catch up with the rest of the world.”
The uptake of electric vehicles and investment in Africa is quite slow relative to emerging market peers due to limited charging infrastructure, unstable power supply and high import duties compared to fossil-fuel cars.
“South Africa is actually one of the most important automotive markets in the southern hemisphere. It’s probably the biggest market in all of Africa, so it’s a market that we have to look at and see how we can develop the market,” Chang said. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media, with additional reporting © Reuters 2025
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