Manufacturing China’s BYD makes mark on UAE supercar market By Megha Merani March 4, 2025, 4:36 PM Wikimedia The U9 supercar, made by BYD's Yangwang brand. Chinese car makers such as BYD are increasing their market share in the UAE BYD make electric vehicles $5.6bn capital injection New showrooms opening BYD Group, China’s largest electric vehicle maker, is taking on luxury rivals in the UAE with its premium and supercar brands, marking a sharp shift from its mass market, budget-friendly origins. Other Chinese automakers are also making inroads into the UAE’s high-end segment, long dominated by European brands and typically priced above AED200,000 ($55,000) Their market share in the UAE jumped from 4 percent to nearly 7 percent in 2024. The number of units sold almost doubled, increasing 86 percent, according to the Middle East Automotive Council. Shenzhen-based BYD will launch two high performance models in Dubai this year, Hasan Nergiz, managing director at Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility, BYD’s UAE distributor, told AGBI in an interview. “The definition of luxury, premium, and supercar is changing,” Nergiz said. “It was about the badge, the legacy, the craftsmanship of these incredibly respected brands that have been doing this business for maybe 100 years.” Now it is about technology, he said The BYD line-up includes the Yangwang U8, an off-road electric SUV capable of being driven in water, with “in-place 360-degree rotation technology”, meaning the wheel axles can be moved individually so that the car can turn in a complete circle while remaining on the spot, and acceleration of 0 to 100 kilometers per hour (km/h) in 3.6 seconds. There will also be new models from its Denza brand, which produces SUVs and sports cars that compete with Porsche’s Panamera. Chinese EV maker Byd to open $1bn plant in Turkey UK company plans purchase of UAE car trade start-up Seez Chinese tourists visiting Dubai up by a third Gulf pricing has yet to be announced, but globally, the models range from $50,000 to $150,000. Other Chinese players are also making inroads in the UAE. Hongqi’s E-HS9 electric SUV, for instance, is priced at $144,300, and the HiPhi Z, a sporty sedan with acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, at $110,000. BYD is looking to sell as many as 10,000 vehicles in the UAE in 2025, targeting a 2 to 3 percent market share, Nergiz said. It is also expanding its dealership network, opening showrooms in Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Al Ain. The company raised $5.6 billion in a share sale this week where the Al-Futtaim Family Office of Omar Al Futtaim, CEO of Dubai’s Al Futtaim Group, was a buyer. The UAE is also a window to a wider market for BYD, given that at least three quarters of the UAE’s 11 million people are foreigners. Dubai is also the world’s largest international airport by passenger throughput and an air traffic hub between east and west. BYD sees the UAE market as a window to the rest of the world, Nergiz said, with the makeup of expatriates and tourists who are transiting to their next destination. “Their experience of the brand is incredibly important.”
