Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025: Chinese electric car manufacturing company BYD is currently focusing on launching vehicles priced between Rs 25 lakh to Rs 45 lakh in India. At the same time, it is also continuously assessing customer preferences and demand for more affordable categories. Rajiv Chauhan, head of the company’s electric passenger vehicles in India, gave this information to Business Standard.
Last September, Chauhan had told the newspaper that the company is evaluating the top-end Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh segment and the Rs 40 lakh to Rs 45 lakh segment to launch its new SUV and will focus on this by the end of 2024. A decision will be taken. BYD unveiled the Celiant 7, a premium SUV for the Indian market, at the ongoing Bharat Mobility Global Expo. Although the company will reveal its price on February 17, it is expected that its price will be around Rs 40 lakh to Rs 45 lakh. Delivery of Sealion 7 to customers will begin from March 7.
“At the moment we are focusing on the Rs 25 lakh to Rs 45 lakh range,” he told the newspaper at the expo. We’re focusing on that a little more. Hence this car – the electric premium SUV Cilian 7 – has been unveiled. We have cars in the sub Rs 25 lakh category. I think we will wait for some more time to enter this category.
Recently, Mahindra & Mahindra and Hyundai have launched their electric cars in the category of less than Rs 25 lakh. When asked whether the company being a Chinese company was facing problems in its future investment in India, Chauhan said, ‘It has been said so in the media but it should be a win-win situation for everyone. This should be a good business case. We are definitely ready (to invest). We are moving forward one step at a time. We want customers to experience our technology first. We are still in the phase of building trust and confidence.
When asked if the company is currently in talks to form a joint venture with any potential partner in India, he said, ‘No, not yet.’ BYD India managed to sell 3,500 cars in the year 2024, while 2,500 cars were sold in the year 2023.
Currently the company imports all its cars from China. According to government rules, a company is not allowed to import more than 2,500 vehicles of a single model annually. However, this limit is removed if the model gets a homologation certificate from the government-run Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).