00:00October, a very important month for BYD, as most months probably are, but you're trying to meet the sales target.
00:06We know that BYD recently revised down 2025 sales.
00:10Can you still maintain pricing power amid mounting competition that you're seeing domestically but also internationally?
00:17Yeah, BYD will continue to play a very strong position. Why? Because BYD is a technology company.
00:23So anytime you have a different solution, different competition, we always bring different strategy here.
00:30So we're going to play very strong in China. We're going to play super strong in overseas marketing.
00:35Do you worry, though, about some of the competitors trying to take some of your market share?
00:39No, no. You think about in the auto industry, nobody like BYD.
00:44We have 120,000 R&D engineers. Then we submit 45 patents per day.
00:50So BYD is not really just a car company. We're a technology company.
00:55Also, BYD not just have a car. We also have battery storage. We have solar panels. We have everything.
01:01So BYD is a tech company.
01:03Have regulations, though, made it a little bit difficult for you to maintain that strength?
01:08Exactly. But it's fun because it always, like, my first trip to here, then I suddenly found, like, BYD can bring a lot of solutions here.
01:17We can build up a solar panel flash charging station here. We'll put a solar panel on the top of a flash charger.
01:24Then we can power our electric car here.
01:27Give us a sense of your long-term strategy across the continent.
01:31So I think we will bring all the technology here, not just the car, but including the total solution.
01:37We're always talking about the three green dreams. I think here is the place we're going to realize, and then you're going to see the power of these three green dreams.
01:48What would Africa and South Africa mean for the company? Get into some of the numbers, if you can.
01:53What are the positioning that you're seeing long-term?
01:55I think we are a little bit new to here, but this is a very important market because we feel this continent, especially also South Africa, need BYD technology to bring the solution, to bring also innovation here.
02:10Then they need a company like us to bring more valuable, like, story and solution here.
02:17Do you plan to manufacture in South Africa?
02:18We are, like, in the initial stage for the double-down and triple-down on dealer networking and the building flash charging infrastructure here.
02:29So we don't have that plan yet.
02:31What is your investment play, though, across the continent?
02:35How much are you willing to put in to make sure you're successful in this market?
02:39Yeah. So one thing is, like, BYD is a tech company.
02:42So we bring, like, electric car here.
02:45We also bring DMI, super hybrid car here.
02:48This is all this technology is a game-changer.
02:52So, for example, our DMI, we call the DMI technology dual-mode intelligent.
02:57It's a super hybrid.
02:58It means in the daily drive, it's relying on its EV.
03:03So per charge, you can get 50 or 200 kilometers.
03:06And then once battery is empty, then it becomes like an HEV.
03:10But one charge, one tank of gasoline for our vehicle, we can run 1,500 kilometers, 2,000 kilometers.
03:18Nobody can do that.
03:19How do you convince the markets that are used to internal combustion engines to buy into EVs, especially when you think about the price point?
03:28This is the solution where I just mentioned, right?
03:31Then for BYD car, it's a more intelligent car.
03:35We don't need too much self-work, convincing work to customer.
03:38The only thing we need to bring customer to our dealer store, and then let's let them do the test drive, themselves will be convinced by BYD car.
03:47And also, when they drive used for a while, you will see the, like, saving they have per month.
03:53Then this will, like, make them, convince them.
03:56Do you think EVs could potentially be just as popular here as we see elsewhere?
04:02However, if we don't invest on flash charging, then this will be a challenge.
04:07Right.
04:08Because here, we still, it's a big country here, and then still EV range and the infrastructure are the two big concerns.
04:16So that's the reason the big news for us in here is we're going to officially announce to invest flash charging infrastructure here in South Africa.
04:27How much?
04:28We're going to put maybe 200 to 300 before end of next year.
04:32How much are you willing to put in, though, for that?
04:35Oh, this is big money because each flash charging costs a lot of money.
04:39So this is a big investment as our, like, step one.
04:43Let's talk about other expansion plans.
04:45You haven't been in the U.S. at this point.
04:47Are you talking to the Trump administration at all, potentially, about moving there?
04:52Well, we didn't have a plan into the U.S. market.
04:55What about Europe?
04:56Let's talk about your play there.
04:57How do you mitigate some of the risks that the regulators are maybe putting on your company to expand?
05:03I think we're doing very well in Europe.
05:06And also, our facility in Hungary will start operation by end of this year.
05:12Then in Q1 next year, we will start to do ramp-up to produce our car over there.
05:18So BYD already in the position, turning ourselves to be local producer over there.
05:25So then BYD is doing very well.
05:28And then on dealer-led working, on after-sales service.
05:32And the people just enjoy our car.
05:34There's some reports that potentially Spain could be the next hub in Europe.
05:37Can you give any validity to those reports?
05:40I don't really follow that.
05:43My bigger, like, more follow is really satisfy our consumer, our customers' needs.
05:51And then for a lot of politics, a lot of topics, for us, it's short-term play.
05:57But BY is a long-term player.
05:59We need to focus on where, original, like a market.
06:02If we produce, like in Europe, we hire like 10,000, 20,000 local jobs.
06:08Then we'll become European, like a manufacturer.
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