Nagoya, Japan — The Central Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan held a vehicle teardown workshop on Oct. 7, where about 70 auto parts companies in central Japan learned about EV body structure and component design features.
Several reports note that attendees were “surprised with” the BYD Atto 3, an electric compact SUV manufactured by the China-based automaker, with attendees reportedly pondering how the vehicle could be produced at such a low cost. Following the event, Sho Kato, department head of Nissin Seiki, which manufactures dies for cold forging, said he was “surprised at the small number of parts used by BYD and Tesla.”
The BYD Atto 3 was the first EV launched by BYD in Japan. It first hit the market in Jan. 2023 and starts at around 4.4 million yen (about CAD$40,000). The automaker is said to manufacture most of its vehicle components in-house, which helps to keep its costs low.
BYD was first established as a battery maker and still makes these components in-house. An EV battery can account for more than a third of vehicle manufacturing costs.
The site of the event, the EV teardown exhibition facility, opened in March 2022. More than 90,000 parts from 16 foreign electric vehicles were on display for the Central Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan’s meeting.
The EV teardown exhibition is updated regularly; four new models are planned to be added by the end of this month, including the IONIQ 6 from Hyundai Motor and another Chinese EV, the L9 from Li Auto.
BYD has previously expressed interest in selling its vehicles in the Canadian market.
