Chinese EV maker BYD expects to get Indian homologation certificate soon
The Indian arm of the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD, on Tuesday, said that it expects to get a homologation certificate from Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) soon, which can help it sell more cars in the country.
Currently, BYD India is importing its vehicles under the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) vehicle certification and GSR 870 CIRT certificate that puts a cap on imports at 2,500 units per model per year.
It has two successful products in its portfolio — the Atto 3 sports utility vehicle and the e6 multipurpose vehicle. On Tuesday, it launched its luxury electric sedan ‘Seal’ priced between ₹41 lakh and ₹53 lakh (exshowroom).
“We sell it as per the ECE certificate...we are getting the homologation certificate for
Atto 3 model. Once we get that, the limitation goes away...it will happen anytime soon. All the tests are over, we are waiting for the final certificate,” Sanjay Gopalakrishnan, Senior VicePresident of Electric Passenger Vehicle Business of BYD India, told businessline on the sidelines of Seal launch here.
He said that BYD has a longterm plan in India and aims to be a number one player also in a period of time, just like it has done in other countries.
“Wherever we are entering, we are becoming number one in a period of time, depending upon the market characteristics/ local policies... India is a longwait market because the market situation is different, the consumer profiles are different, the car density per 1,000 people is also different compared to even some of the developing countries. .. we will definitely wait, and we hope to be the top leading player in the long term,” he said.
NEW BENCHMARK
Talking about Seal, he said it will create a new benchmark in the EV industry because it’s a leading technology with advanced features in safety, performance and luxury.
The BYD Seal is a highperformance electric sedan with cuttingedge ePlatform 3.0, with rearwheel/allwheel drive, advanced suspensions, a 3.8second 0100 km/h acceleration and a 650km range (one of the highest ranges so far), the company said.
BYD India was established in March 2007 in Chennai, and has two factories, covering more than 1.4 lakh sq metre, with an investment exceeding $200 million.