We might be seeing a lot more BYD EVs on our Grab apps in the near the future. BYD and Grab have just agreed on an extended partnership throughout Southeast Asia with the Chinese carmaker offering 50,000 EVs to Grab drivers across the region.
BYD mentioned that the Atto 3, Seal, and M6 will be offered, while countries with GrabExec—a version of GrabCar that provides luxury vehicles—can make use of the Denza D9. For the unfamiliar, Denza is one of the luxury brands under BYD. Though for practicality, most Grab drivers would probably opt for a Seal 5 DM-i or Seagull.
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Spanning the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore, BYD will offer Grab drivers an opportunity to purchase a new EV at discounted rates with flexible payment terms and extended warranty. Grab also mentioned that drivers will also be able to rent a BYD from a fleet partner.
In the past couple of years, BYD has been relentless with its releases. It seemed like a new BYD vehicle was being released every month, while a new BYD showroom was being inaugurated every week. In its endeavor to fill the roads with its NEVs, BYD has now looked to Grab to get more people interested in its vehicles.
The BYD Seal 5 DM-i makes a lot of sense as a ride-sharing car or taxi. The streets of Bangkok are filled with Seal 5 taxis and GrabCars that get around 1,100km on a full charge and a filled tank of gas.
If BYD wanted to break into the MPV market, its electric seven-seater, the M6 (Song Max in China), offers 580km in driving distance at a relatively low price. There is even a PHEV (DM-i) version of the M6 that performs similarly to the popular Sealion 6. Promoting these first as GrabCar vehicles could give the local market a different perspective of how reasonable and practical a BYD M6 or M6 DM-i could be.
On the more premium side of things, Denza has long been rumored to make a Philippine debut. If first displayed alongside Grab, it could exchange some of its luxury for accessibility. The Denza D9 has toured car shows all over world to rival the likes of the Toyota Alphard and Kia Carnival, and while a Philippine release has been floated, nothing has ever really materialized.
Operationally, Grab has also said that the data, location information, and onboard software from the incoming BYD fleet will also be used to fine-tune Grab’s traffic and booking algorithms. The Grab app for drivers will also be optimized to fit in those big center screens for which BYD has gained notice. The BYD-optimized app should make confirming rides and navigation much safer while helping drivers improve their motoring.
There is no timeline yet on when the BYD fleet will arrive, or what the allocation for Philippine drivers will be.
