Chinese EV Maker BYD Aims to Conquer World Markets as the Un-Tesla

After PK Saxena moved from the southern Australian city of Adelaide to the tiny town of Booleroo Centre in January, the 36-year-old high school teacher found himself facing a daily commute of about 75 kilometers (46 miles) to and from his new school in rural Orroroo. So he decided to switch to an electric car. “Fuel costs really do add up when you move out to the countryside,” he says.

Saxena briefly considered Tesla Inc.’s lowest-priced EV, the Model 3, but eventually settled on a metallic gray Atto 3 from a new entrant to the local market: China’s BYD Co. Although little known in Australia, the company is a giant in its homeland, where it’s been making vehicles for almost two decades and counts Warren Buffett as a longtime investor. Saxena expects to get his BYD delivered soon for a price of about A$47,000 ($33,000), two-thirds the cost of Tesla’s Model 3. “It hits that sweet spot, where it’s not expensive like some of the high-range cars but has enough to get you there,” he says.