China’s BYD challenges Nissan, Toyota in the Japanese small-car market

Chinese EV-maker BYD looks to take on some of the world’s leading automakers on their home turf with its second model for the Japanese market, a compact electric car.

The Dolphin, BYD’s second offering in Japan, will be priced at 3.6 million yen ($24,000), the automaker announced. BYD began accepting orders on Wednesday and expects to begin delivering as early as October 2023. 

BYD’s Dolphin is in the same category as the Toyota’s popular Yaris, a gasoline car priced from 2.4 million yen, and Nissan’s Leaf, one of Japan’s bestselling EVs in 2022, priced at 4 million yen.

BYD is striving to prove itself and its EV offerings in Japan. The automaker is hopeful it can tap demand in the Japanese market, where domestic automakers have been reluctant to embrace EVs.

In January 2023, the Chinese EV-maker released its first passenger vehicle in Japan, the Atto 3, a midsize SUV priced at 4.4 million yen. BYD has sold about 700 units of the Atto 3 so far.

The Japanese-made Dolphin is marketed toward urban drivers searching for a compact car and has been modified to fit condominium parking spaces, which have height restrictions on vehicles. The business is particularly interested in the demand from rural drivers who want a quick second automobile for regular use.

A safety feature that prevents unintentional acceleration, a problem that has been linked to numerous accidents involving elderly drivers in Japan, has also been retrofitted into the Japanese version.