Chinese electric carmaker Build Your Dreams (BYD) and car rental company SIXT have announced a partnership for the European market. This marks the beginning of a long-term partnership galvanising a shared vision to help accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs).
The collaboration will start with an initial order from SIXT for several thousand all-electric BYD cars, with the first deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2022. It is anticipated that this preliminary order from SIXT will expand to a further additional 100,000 BYD electric vehicles over the next six years.
As the global leader in new energy vehicles, BYD is steadfast in its commitment to reducing carbon emissions, through technological innovation for a greener world. For over a decade, BYD Europe has led the way in zero-emission public transportation.
Through this partnership with SIXT, BYD now brings its green solutions to the car rental market. BYD’s expertise and ethos supports SIXT’s sustainability strategy, with a goal to have between 70 and 90 per cent of its fleet electrified by 2030.
Among the first SIXT customers to experience BYD cars this year will be those in Germany, France, the Netherlands and the UK. With almost 2,100 branches in more than 100 countries, SIXT is a leading international mobility provider with a range of premium services These include car rental, car sharing, ride hailing and car subscriptions.
SIXT will offer customers a range of high-tech BYD electric cars starting with the BYD ATTO 3. This is a C-segment electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) built on BYD’s latest ePlatform 3.0.
As the partnership with SIXT matures, both companies will explore additional cooperation opportunities for a sustainable future in different regions around the world.
It’s good to see more rental companies investing in electric cars for their fleets as their popularity increases. Recently, Hertz in the US announced it was partnering with General Motors, Polestar and Tesla to expand its electric offerings on a large scale.
Michael Shu, general manager and managing director at BYD Europe and International Cooperation Division, said: “Cooperations are a core part of the BYD business strategy.
“We are delighted to start our cooperation with SIXT, the car rental company with the world’s fastest-growing brand value and an important key partner to BYD as we take our first steps into the rental market.
“Our shared vision allows us to build our green dreams together, initially starting in Europe. We aim to inspire SIXT customers with our latest products and innovations in EV technology.
“These are exciting times for BYD, as our market-leading solutions provide greater access and more options for electric mobility. We look forward to a long and flourishing partnership with SIXT.”
Vinzenz Pflanz, chief business officer responsible for sales and vehicle purchase, Sixt SE, said: “SIXT offers easy-to-use, flexible and limitless mobility to its customers every day. With over one million units produced from January to August 2022, BYD is the world’s largest vehicle manufacturer in the area of emobility.
“The agreement with BYD is an important milestone to deliver on our promise of putting significantly more electric cars onto the street. We are very much looking forward to working with BYD, which is a multinational high-tech company devoted to leveraging technological innovations for a better life.”
Founded in 1995 as a rechargeable battery maker, BYD now boasts a diverse business scope covering automobiles, rail transit, new energy and electronics. It has over 30 industrial parks in China, the United States, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Hungary and India.
From energy generation and storage to its applications, BYD is dedicated to providing zero-emission energy solutions that reduce global reliance on fossil fuels. Its new energy vehicle footprint now covers six continents, over 70 countries and regions and more than 400 cities.
Earlier this year BYD announced it was partnering with Shell to provide electric vehicle charging across Europe and China. The collaboration will offer BYDbattery electric vehicle (BEV) drivers membership access to 275,000 charging points through the Shell roaming network. Both BYD and Shell will also jointly develop fleet solutions and depot charging services for BYD customers in Europe.
