BYD Debuts $10,500 Yuan Up Pilot EV As It Faces Sales Scrutiny, Preps Europe Launch – BYD (OTC:BYDDF), BYD (OTC:BYDDY)

BYD Co. Ltd. BYDDY BYDDF announced a new Pilot edition of its Yuan Up EV, retailing for a price of 74,800 RMB or approximately $10,500.

What Happened: The Chinese EV giant announced the new edition to celebrate hitting the 1.5 million sales milestone, Electrek reported on Thursday.

The Pilot edition, marketed as the BYD Atto 2 in overseas markets, boasts a WLTP range of 187 miles on a single charge. The SUV was previously priced between 99,800 RMB ($13,860) to 119,800 RMB ($16,700).

Given its price, the SUV does not feature BYD’s «God’s Eye» Advanced Driver Assistance System. The new variant also comes with a smaller 32 kWh battery, in contrast to the higher variants with a 45 kWh battery and a range of 249 miles.

Why It Matters: The news comes as BYD has been accused of allegedly inflating sales figures in China by insuring vehicles before they were sold to the customers, in what’s being called a zero-mileage used vehicle, a practice that has raised concerns among authorities in China.

BYD, however, also experienced a slump recently, with the company’s domestic sales going down 8% in the month of June. However, the overseas sales were on track to meet targets. 

The automaker is also debuting its luxury-focused subsidiary, Yangwang, in the European market next year, amid a push for more presence in overseas markets for BYD.

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