Motoring

Chinese brand BYD arrives in Ireland with big dreams

The BYD Atto 3 is the first of up to nine new models bound for Ireland from the massive Chinese car maker

The BYD Atto 3 electric SUV from BYD Auto, which was launched in 2003 and last year overtook Tesla to become the world’s largest manufacturer of electric cars

BYD stands for Build Your Dreams, a whimsical name that belies the behemoth of a company behind it. The Chinese conglomerate only came into being in 1995, starting out as a manufacturer of rechargeable batteries, but it has expanded beyond belief since.

Among its many products – including buses, bicycles, trucks, forklifts, batteries and solar panels – it’s claimed that 20 per cent of all smartphones on the planet feature components made by BYD. And ...