Gashi Automobile News According to Reuters, BYD is launching an electric vehicle charging station in Japan and increasing marketing efforts and customer incentives to increase the company’s sales in Japan.
In an effort to win the favor of Japanese consumers and boost brand awareness, BYD has offered discounts to the top 1,000 buyers of its latest model and started airing TV ads starring Japanese actress and model Masami Nagasawa.
The above strategies will help attract more customers, but they also mean higher-than-expected marketing costs.
Tofukuji, president of BYD Japan, declined to disclose specific marketing costs.
However, despite this, some Japanese are cautious about buying high-priced Chinese products due to quality concerns.
In July, Yukihiro Obata, 58, visited a BYD showroom in Yokohama, Japan with his son.
He said: “These cars are great, but I don’t think they will sell well in Japan.
The Japanese believe that local products are superior to those of China and South Korea.
We can’t believe that the quality of Chinese products will be higher.
“, For foreign carmakers such as BYD, the Japanese market remains difficult to penetrate.
Japan’s demand for electric vehicles has long been weak, and this year the Japanese government changed the way electric vehicle subsidies are calculated and cut subsidies from BYD and other car companies, which has raised concerns about Japanese government protectionism.
In April this year, the Japanese government revised its electric vehicle subsidy program and said it would promote the popularization of charging stations and other infrastructure.
Atsuki Tofukuji said at an event at the company in July that subsidy cuts had dragged on BYD sales.
Currently, BYD offers three models in Japan: one is BYD Yuan PLUS (Known as the “Atto 3 SUV” abroad), it sells for 4.
5 million yen (approximately US$30,996).
This year, the Japanese government has cut the subsidy amount for this car by nearly half from 650,000 yen to 350,000 yen.
the second model is the Seal sedan, which sells for 5.
28 million yen and is eligible for a subsidy of 450,000 yen.
the third model is the Dolphin model, which starts at 3.
63 million yen and enjoys a subsidy of 350,000 yen.
Photo source: BYD, in contrast, Nissan SUVs and Toyota SUVs can still receive subsidies of up to 850,000 yen, and Tesla models sold in Japan also receive the same or higher subsidies.
, In response to the Japanese government’s subsidy cuts, BYD responded by providing zero-interest loans from April to June and providing cash rebates for household charging piles in July and August.
Atsuki Tofukuji revealed that BYD also plans to install fast charging piles at 100 locations by the end of next year, which may help the company obtain higher subsidies.
In February last year, BYD opened its first showroom in Japan and has sold more than 2,500 vehicles so far.
Currently, BYD has more than 30 exhibition halls in Japan.
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