New Zealand registered 1099 battery EVs and 1246 plug-in hybrids in August, more than double a year earlier, with BYD topping the EV table as Tesla waited for quarter-end.
Gavin Shoebridge becomes the first non-Japanese reviewer to drive BYD's Racco kei car, road-tripping Japan with charging tests, Mt Fuji roads and one failed camping attempt.
BYD is considering the M9 people mover for New Zealand with rental fleets the target, general manager Warren Willmot says, as the DM-i super hybrid MPV is confirmed for Australia.
BYD confirms the Defender-styled Ti 7 seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV for New Zealand in 2027, one of more than 15 models the brand says are coming in the next 18 months.
Fuyao, the world's largest automotive glass maker, says it can mass-produce solar sunroof glass, with unconfirmed reports linking it to BYD's Han and Tang at around NZ$2,000.
BYD prices the Atto 2 DM-i plug-in hybrid from $34,990 in New Zealand, undercutting its own electric Atto 2 by $6,000, with 40km or 90km of electric range and 1,000km combined.
BYD's largest NZ shipment yet lands at the end of August: 2,750 vehicles across two vessels, quietly confirming the plug-in hybrid Atto 2 DM-i for New Zealand and clearing an April-dated order backlog.
Denza's reborn N8 electric SUV claims 1,003km of CLTC range from a 130.15kWh Blade 2.0 battery with five-minute flash charging, though the generous Chinese test cycle deserves an asterisk.
BYD and Sinopec have converted a Shanghai petrol station into a 12-stall flash charging hub, removing the fuel tanks to fit buffer batteries that keep grid demand to around 100kW.
BYD prices the Atto 3 Evo from $59,990 for New Zealand, arriving this month with up to 510km of range, 220kW charging and a trade-in service plan offer for existing Atto 3 owners.
