Official UEFA EURO 2024 e-mobility partner rolls out EV models in Vietnam

Chinese EV maker BYD, the official e-mobility partner of UEFA EURO 2024, introduced three electric vehicle models to the Vietnamese market on Saturday, the opening day of the continental football championships.

Speaking at the test drive event "BYD Week - Technology Green Future", Vo Minh Luc, CEO of BYD Vietnam, revealed a plan to officially roll out the three models, namely the SEAL sedan, DOLPHIN hatchback, and the ATTO3 SUV, in Vietnam on July 18.

"BYD is launching these vehicles a bit later than expected in the Vietnamese market, even though we have been studying the 100-million-strong market for more than 10 years. The company considers this an important, potential market outside of China.

"Vietnam has a large number of young users - a group of customers who are interested in new, environmentally friendly technologies," Luc said.

The company plans to import the first cars into the Vietnamese market in July and build a production factory in the country, he added.

According to the BYD representative, although there is no plan to build charging stations, the firm is actively coordinating with domestic and foreign partners to develop them, with the hope of building an ecosystem for the vehicles using new energies.

EVs sold in the Vietnamese market can travel more than 400 km after each full charge, which could allow customers to drive for a week without charging. Vehicles using "blade" batteries are considered safe and resistant to fire, explosion, deformation, or heat generation.

The company said it will announce official prices in July, but according to observers, the price of the ATTO3 SUV, BYD's flagship product, will range from VND630-730 million ($28,700), while the SEAL will be priced at VND900 million ($35,356), similar to the Thai market.

It plans to form a dealer network in 20 major provinces and cities across Vietnam, and develop a complete ecosystem, not just selling one or two products. In just a year, the brand occupied 40% of the EV market share in Thailand and 44% in Malaysia.

Established in 1995, BYD has become a global brand. Data from market research company Statista shows that in 2023, the firm sold 3.02 million EVs globally, an increase of 61.09% from 2022. These figures have made BYD surpass many other names like Tesla to become the largest new EV brand in the world.

In January this year, the European Football Federation (EUFA) officially announced BYD as the EV sponsor for EURO 2024.

“As an official partner for the UEFA EURO 2024™, this prestigious event will enable us to showcase our latest advancements in electric vehicles to a far-reaching audience. The partnership also aligns perfectly with UEFA’s endeavour to promote a greener and more eco-friendly UEFA EURO 2024™,” BYD said on its website.

As a global leader in new electric vehicle sales, BYD will facilitate efficient and green transportation solutions during UEFA EURO 2024™ in Germany by offering a diverse range of vehicles to provide sustainable mobility for fans and teams across Europe.