In the midst of a busy fortnight for mobility announcements Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Company used a warm May evening to light up its plush showroom on the avenues of Dubai’s City Walk district and formally open the doors on its plans for Chinese EV brand BYD.
Since the two companies announced their partnership earlier in the year, BYD has officially become the world’s biggest EV car producer in terms of production with its output in 2022 growing by 211%. Expected to double that figure again in 2023, it clearly wants to take on Tesla in terms of sales too, cutting its prices as a reaction to Tesla’s own price drops and the strategy appears to be working, In fact, it sold over twice as many EVs than Tesla in Q1 2023.
Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Company described the deal with BYD as a monumental milestone in March and has quickly raced to lean into its fellow AFM subsdiaries’ presence in the retail scene of the UAE as well as leverage the group’s ownership of the Hertz franchise in the market.
Today the car rental giant has over 11,000 vehicles in operation in the UAE, 15% of which are either fully electric or hybrid vehicles. Volvo and Polestar feature within Hertz’s green mobility portfolio, with plans to soon include the BYD range.
It was no surprise then to hear and see Hasan Nergiz, managing director of Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Company enthusiastically greet a crowd of early adopters and journalists at The ZONE.
“What an energy, what a night,” he exclaimed.
Nergiz says the BYD journey started two years ago, but it was the announcement earlier in the year in March that has got him energised.
“We reached over 5 million people around the world with this announcement,” he revealed.
With the interest clearly mounting in BYD in the market, and early buyers on board, the next step will be proving that the car is a viable option for drivers not yet in tune with the brand or electric vehicles in general. Those that reserved a car will be able to test drive the cars properly from June ahead of the delivery later down the line.
“Between the 15th March, we were relentlessly working to bring the whole offering, including our e-commerce platform. After the first 65 minutes, we had our first booking, and in first 10 days we had 63,000 visits, 1,700 leads and 50 bookings. It’s a brilliant story.”
Nergiz said the two companies want to “flip the script” in the local car market with BYD, particularly when it comes to the customer experience.
“In the raditional car industry, everything starts with a dealership, a brick and mortar experience. We will have this space as our start. But we can’t wait the customers to come to us. We will go to every, at each one of our customers that are interested and are developing a new concept called a mobile showroom that will on the road in the UAE at Majid Al Futtaim shopping malls; covering roughly 80% of the market. Customers will not need to come to us. We will go to them.”
While the two test cars have racked up thousands of kilometres and proved valuable assets to test the BYD blade battery technology (a unique design which operates at temperatures far below their lithiam Ion equivalents), the next step will be to introduce the retail models into the UAE market in June.
“What are these cars?” He said Looking at the two models on display in The ZONE. “These cars are the exact cars that went through severe hot summer testing. They have more than one hundred thousand kilometers of testing before the launch to adapt to our local market requirements.”
Given his position, Nergiz was unusually blunt about the early stages of the testing programme.
“BYD said that the cars are very good but they’re not market leading in terms of air conditioning performance. It was not the most enjoyable day after the failures that we had…” he said. “But we have made sure that on the first day of the launch, these cars are fully able to be driven in the local conditions and temperature in terms of their air conditioning and the battery life. This extensive testing means that we will give you the best customer experience from day one.”
He added that the partnership is preparing to launch three other models by the end of the year.
“So it’s not one car, it’s not two cars. We are committed to provide the entire customer segment, with choice. We don’t want customers to make a compromise when they want to go to the electric vehicle in terms of segmentation and specification.”
One of the interesting touches is an interior designed by former Audi and Lamborghini designer Wolfgang Egger. The Atto 3’s interior, for instance, features gym-inspired detailing with the drive selector resembling a kettle bell and the centre console made to look like a treadmill. As other outlets have noted in markets where Atto is available, the car makes the most of its all-electric design and comes with a 440 litre boot than can be extended to 1,338 litres with the rear seats folded flat.
The most impressive feature of the BYD range, remains the Blade Battery. According to Nergiz, it is stronger than any other battery on the market and can hold more than 43 pounds of weight on it without getting destroyed. On top of that, it can reach 80% of its charge in around 10 minutes. .
Launched by BYD in 2020, Blade Battery is the only battery that successfully passes the nail penetration test, the most rigorous way to test the thermal runaway of batteries. While undergoing nail penetration tests, Blade Battery emits neither smoke nor fire after being penetrated, and its surface temperature only reaches 30 to 60 ° C. Under the same conditions, a ternary lithium battery mostly exceeds 500 ° C and violently burns, and while a conventional lithium iron phosphate block battery does not openly emit flames or smoke, its surface temperature reaches dangerous temperatures of 200 to 400 ° C. That means Blade Battery is ultra-safe.
“This test is regarded as the Mount Everest of any battery test,” enthused Nergiz as he showed a video demonstrating the test in action.
Of course, for most people choosing BYD could come down to price and as he concluded Nergiz revealed that the models will start from 149,000dirhams or 1,499 dirhams per month. That’s almost 35,000dirhams less than a 2023 Tesla 3. Seems like BYD could soon be a serious challenger in Dubai too.
What is the BYD ATTO 3?
The BYD ATTO 3 is intended to be a combination of form and function, providing a comfortable and spacious interior with plenty of storage space for passengers and luggage. With a top speed of 160 km/h and a range of up to 420 km (combined WLTP) on a single charge, the BYD ATTO 3 is ideal for daily commutes and urban driving. Advanced safety features, such as Lane Keeping Assist, Blind Spot Monitor, Front & Rear Collision Warning and Front, Side & Side Curtain Airbags.
Available in five different colours, the BYD ATTO 3 is an EV for those who want style, comfort, and technology all in one package – and a competitive price. The sleek exterior of the BYD ATTO 3 boasts LED automatic headlights, keyless entry with remote engine starter, a panoramic sunroof, and 18” alloy wheels that complement its modern design. Step inside and set the mood with multi-colored ambient lighting and enjoy the luxurious vinyl leather seats, 6-way powered driver seat, and wireless charger. The 12.8” electric rotary multimedia screen, Dirac audio system with 8 speakers, and Apple Carplay integration will keep you entertained and connected, while the signature Insta-Pure Technology lets you breathe easy with every ride.
