BYD Takes Over Distribution in Australia – Malaysia Next?

BYD takes full import and distribution control in Australia as it aims to increase its sales volume. Is Malaysia next on the list?

Chinese automaker BYD has further expanded its overseas venture by recently taking over the full import and distribution control of its vehicles in Australia. The world’s largest NEV marque is taking back control of its Australian operations from third-party entity EVDirect as part of its plan to increase its global sales.

This takeover will give BYD more direct control over its product lineup in the Land Down Under, which currently includes the Atto 3, Dolphin, Seal, Sealion 6, Sealion 7, and Shark. More importantly, it also ensures that BYD owners in Australia are more ‘protected,’ given that the brand is now fully factory-backed, while at the same time establishing a landing base for more brands under BYD’s arms to enter the Aussie market.

Speaking of which, Drive Australia reported that this takeover is timely with the brand’s plan to introduce more of its sub-brands, starting with Denza later this year. The change in operations is also expected to give BYD more confidence with its YangWang brand, where one of its SUVs, the YangWang U8, has been spotted testing in Australia a few times now.

Meanwhile, EVDirect, the previous entity in charge of BYD vehicle distributorship in Australia, will continue its role as one of the brand’s official dealers. Through its partnership with local Eagers Automotive, the company will continue to oversee several BYD outlets nationwide.

Prior to this takeover, BYD Australia—or at least EVDirect—had done a pretty decent job in handling the brand, as it managed to ship 11,974 units as of April this year. This figure puts it on track to reach an annual sales target of 36,000 units by 2026, while three of its models are listed in the top 10 best-selling EVs in Australia as of April this year.

The Australian market has always been one of BYD’s most successful overseas markets, which explains why the Chinese automaker now wants direct control over it. Besides Australia, BYD has also recently taken over its brand control in Germany, and the company is eyeing more market takeovers as it plans to further expand its overseas ventures.

As for Malaysia, the BYD brand is currently being distributed by local automotive group Sime Motors, which handles the brand under its subsidiary Sime Darby Beyond Auto (SDBA). With that being said, the Denza brand recently made its local debut with the D9 EV MPV earlier this year, where the distributorship is instead being done by BYD’s direct local arm, BYD Malaysia, which also handles its commercial vehicle business here in Malaysia.

And just like Australia, Malaysia is often listed as one of BYD’s top-performing markets, with the BYD Atto 3 often topping the local EV sales ranking, before its crown was recently taken over by the nation's first EV model, the Proton e.MAS 7.

However, Sime Motors recently posted a 43% drop in its net profit for Q1 2025, while at the same time quietly letting go of its distribution of the Hyundai brand locally. Could this lead an end for Sime Motor’s distributorship of the BYD brand here in Malaysia?