Lafast Motors, known locally as the authorised distributor for BMW and Mini, has added an exciting new electric car company to its current sales lineup.
Lafast announced on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with the Jamaica-based ATL Automotive Group to become the exclusive TT dealer for Chinese electric car manufacturer Build Your Dreams (BYD).
BYD was founded in 2003 and has since emerged as a leading manufacturer of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).
The Chinese car manufacturer overtook Tesla in June 2022 as the world's largest electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, announcing it had sold about 641,000 EVs in the first half of 2022.
It is also the first carmaker in China to build one million EVs in a single year.
The agreement comes after ATL Automotive took direct control of BYD sales and aftersales in Jamaica and adopted a regional management role in eight other countries: Antigua, Aruba, Bonaire, Cayman, Curacao, Barbados, Guyana, Saint Lucia, and Suriname.
ATL group executive chairman Adam Stewart said he was thrilled to finally announce the news adding, “Our own discussions with BYD were ongoing for the better part of a year and a half so naturally we were pleased to finally sign on the dotted line with this incredible brand and start confirming our trusted dealer partners throughout the region. We work closely with the team at Lafast Motors with BMW and MINI and we’re delighted that they share the vision of the BYD brand and its exciting future.”
Lafast Director Gregory Farah expressed his delight with being awarded the exclusive dealership rights for BYD in TT as he noted the role of EVs in transforming the industry.
“It’s no secret that the future of the automotive industry lies within electric vehicles, and there is no better EV brand to partner with than BYD. The progressive vision of the company, its environmental practices, design, safety, price point and performance of its vehicles make it a natural leader in this industry segment, and we are so excited to get started and introduce this brand and its models to TT in the coming days weeks and months.”
BYD vehicles are expected to be available to the public by January 2024, with state-of-the-art sales and service facilities in Port of Spain and San Fernando.
The flagship location in Port of Spain is expected to offer a full range of BYD passenger and commercial vehicles and buses.
