On April 15, Steve Chang, Managing Director of BYD South Africa, stated at the launch of the ATTO 8 in Johannesburg that the company will firmly avoid frequent price cuts despite intensifying competition. While many new Chinese NEV entrants are relying on deep launch discounts to gain market share, BYD is pursuing a more patient brand-building path centered on "price parity."
According to the latest official sales report for March 2026 released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa), BYD (比亚迪) sold 589 units during the month. This performance ranked the brand 21st overall, trailing slightly behind Mercedes-Benz (595 units) but successfully surpassing established luxury players like Volvo and Mazda. Chang noted that BYD (比亚迪) is not currently chasing sales volume at any cost, but rather aims to stabilize brand equity and residual values by pricing its electric and plug-in hybrid models similarly to equivalent internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
The South African New Energy Vehicle (NEV) market grew by 7.1% in 2025, reaching a cumulative volume of 16,716 units, with plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) showing particularly strong momentum. The newly launched ATTO 8, a seven-seater PHEV SUV, is priced from 1,059,900 ZAR (approx. 403,000 CNY) for the Premium (DM-i) variant, while the Performance (DM-p) AWD version starts at 1,259,900 ZAR. Chang emphasized that excessive discounting harms early adopters, and the company will instead focus on consumer education to foster a deeper understanding of BYD’s (比亚迪) technology and long-term value.