See ya, Tesla: Seal, Dolphin and Atto 3 lift BYD to title of Australia’s best-selling electric vehicle brand in January

February 7, 2024February 7, 2024 Stephen Corby 2664 Views australia, BYD, sales, Tesla

The new year has welcomed a new electric-vehicle heavyweight, with Chinese brand BYD outselling EV giant Tesla in Australia for the first time in January.

It marks a seismic shift in EV sales in Australia, with Tesla often not just the best-selling electric-vehicle brand, but also producing the best-selling models across all powertrains in a segment.

But BYD claimed the crown in January, fuelled by the arrival of the Seal, and supported by its Atto 3 and Dolphin EVs.

The all-new Seal recorded a total 589 sales, while the Atto 3 contributed 465 sales. Australia’s cheapest EV, the Dolphin, sold 256 examples, lifting BYD’s January total to 1310.

Tesla models sold a total 1107 vehicles last month, down more than 60 percent on its January 2023 totals, with 723 units of the Model 3 and 384 units of the Model Y delivered.

The news comes as BYD prepares to launch two new models into the Australian market — a mid-size SUV and a dual-cab ute, both of which will be plug-in hybrids that will arrive this year. BYD calls the technology DM-i, or Dual Motor Intelligence.

“What I can say is that we are launching a DM-i technology – the same as per the ute – SUV (in 2024). Probably quarter two at the latest. We are targeting quarter one,” said local BYD importer Luke Todd..

“What we haven’t confirmed is the naming of it at the moment.”

Stephen Corby

Stephen is a former editor of both Wheels and Top Gear Australia magazines and has been writing about cars since Henry Ford was a boy. Initially an EV sceptic, he has performed a 180-degree handbrake turn and is now a keen advocate for electrification and may even buy a Porsche Taycan one day, if he wins the lottery. Twice.