Mexican media, including El Economista and Reforma, reported on the 7th that BYD will unveil its first pickup truck in Mexico on the 14th local time.
The pickup truck, named “Shark,” was only known as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicle, with no specific specifications disclosed.
Earlier, BYD released a 33-second short video on its PR X account in Latin America that includes a silhouette of a vehicle named “Shark” and an explanation that its first pickup truck is a hybrid model.
As for BYD’s choice of Mexico as the public stage for electric pickup trucks, analysts say it is a stepping stone to target overseas markets, especially the Americas, where pickup trucks are relatively popular in Mexico.
Earlier, El Economistar reported that BYD was trying to use Mexico and other Latin American regions to avoid the U.S. move to impose tariffs of up to 125% on Chinese cars.
Reuters also reported that in February, BYD said it would select the site of a 150,000-unit Mexican plant by the end of the year to expand its market share.
BYD is also conducting aggressive marketing in Mexico City, including announcing plans to sell small, low-cost electric vehicles starting at 358,800 pesos.
Many electric vehicles dominate in various countries, and I wonder if BYD, which is pioneering Latin America where the electric vehicle market has not yet been established, will succeed or fail. If successful, it will be the start of a variety of electric vehicles entering the Latin American market.
EJ SONG
US ASIA JOURNAL
