On social media, some BYD owners in Thailand vented that the deep discounting by the world’s largest EV manufacturer had left them feeling short-changed.
“Nothing hurts more than this,” said one owner on Facebook, explaining that a BYD Atto 3 car he had bought for 1.19 million baht (US$32,523) was now selling for 859,000 baht.
Another aggrieved owner posted a video of himself scribbling disparaging remarks about BYD with a thick blue marker on the hood of his EV, including: “I am never buying this car brand again.”
Rever’s website on Friday showed some models are currently being discounted by as much as 340,000 baht.
Passakorn Thapmongkol, a senior official at Thailand’s Consumer Protection Board, told Reuters that the agency had met with Rever officials and asked for documents related to the discounting scheme.
“More customers are gradually coming in to file complaints,” he added.
Thailand is BYD’s largest market outside China and key to its plans to expand globally – particularly in the wake of 17.4 per cent tariffs imposed on the automaker by the EU.
The Chinese automaker commanded a 46 per cent share of Thailand’s EV segment in the first quarter and is the third-largest player in passenger cars, according to research firm Counterpoint.
