Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer BYD has made a notable impact as an official partner of the Euro 2024 tournament, sparking increased interest from potential car buyers. The partnership's visibility has driven significant traffic to BYD's listings on the Auto Trader platform.
During the opening weekend of the tournament, from Friday to Sunday, BYD models received 26,000 views on Auto Trader, marking a 69% increase compared to the previous week. The surge in interest coincided with BYD's prominent display as a Euro 2024 partner during advertising breaks in the coverage of the Germany v Scotland match, which was watched by more than 10 million viewers.
The BYD Seal emerged as the most viewed BYD model over the weekend and ranked as the second most viewed new EV model overall, with the top spot taken by the IONIQ 5. Since entering the UK market in March 2023, BYD has sold 3,365 units, reflecting growing consumer interest.
Erin Baker, editorial director of Auto Trader, commented on the development: “Our traffic data shows that this tournament is already triggering a step-change in awareness of BYD little more than a year after they entered the UK market. This high-profile media partnership only underlines their ambitions in Europe where they face tough competition from the well-established legacy brands. BYD’s sales are growing rapidly, albeit from a low base, and the Euros partnership has the potential to cement them in the public consciousness.”
BYD's partnership with Euro 2024 represents a strategic move to enhance brand recognition and compete with established European and international automotive brands. The increased visibility during such a prominent sporting event has already demonstrated a tangible effect on consumer interest and engagement with the brand.
As the tournament progresses, BYD will likely continue to benefit from its association with Euro 2024, potentially translating this increased awareness into further sales growth in the competitive UK market. The move underscores BYD's broader strategy to expand its footprint in Europe and challenge traditional automotive brands with its range of electric vehicles.
The concern is that (despite claimed independence from Europe following Brexit), we Brits will see huge increases in the cost of buying a new EV, because European/American brands cannot compete with BYD and the other far-east brands on level terms.
For now, it's great to see that the ‘swell' in new sales from 2020 to 2022 is translating to an equivalent increase in used EV sales. Long may this continue.