At the launch on the new BYD Megastore in Sydney during September I had the chance to catch up with football legend, and Socceroo’s top goal scorer, Tim Cahill.
I had seen Cahill a BYD event before and thought it was a celebrity endorsement deal. But it’s more than that. Cahill is a partner in the local distributor of BYD (EV Direct) and works closely on a regular basis with CEO Luke Todd.
I attended the event to see if BYD were ready to talk to Fleet Managers. They have been in the market for over a year now and the ATTO 3 has been selling well despite the supply chain challenges (8,004 cars August YTD). And the answer is YES!
So I took to opportunity to talk with Cahill to find out more about his involvement in the business and get his thoughts on the market and opportunities for BYD in Australia.
“For me it’s been a while now, probably a year plus involved with BYD,” explains Cahill. “After meeting Luke and the team, and talking about the future of EVs in Australia. And now we’re here, in the new Megastore. And we’re talking about the experience of the customer. Something you’ll never see anywhere especially in Australia. It’s about coming in and learning and educating yourself and touching feeling; taking the technology in.”
“I retired five years ago as a professional footballer after 20 odd years playing and now heavily involved in wanting to be an entrepreneur, and studying the new world of innovation and technology.”
“I invest in people and I invest in technology. It’s (BYD Blade Battery) the best battery in the world, a leading car brand, and it was a chance to come in at a level that’s new.”
“Not a lot of people are experienced when it comes to understanding EV vehicles but at the same time, there’s a care factor for me about affordability, quality, families, and the individual. It’s gonna be a pretty special (Megastore) because, yes, we’ve launched ATTO 3, we’ve launched the Dolphin and now there’s going to be the Seal.”
“And the Seal epitomises me. When you talk about sports cars, you talk about luxuries. You talk about interior, from the wheels to everything,” says Cahill.
“I’m an avid car fan, but at the same time I’m a partner in the company. I’m in the business and I’m focused on the company; on the strategic approach to how we enter the market. We had one of the best ever launches over a year ago and now we’re looking to the future in this Megastore. We’re looking to the future with the experience for the customer and also the experience in a dealership.”
