BYD Partners with AEON to Sell EVs in Japanese Malls, Starting at 2 Million Yen ($13,180)

In September, BYD sold 802 vehicles in Japan, tripling year-on-year and accounting for about 20% of imported BEV sales that month.

On October 21, Chinese Nikkei reported that Japanese retail giant AEON will partner with BYD to sell the Chinese automaker’s electric vehicles across Japan within 2025. The plan includes setting up BYD sales outlets in about 30 AEON shopping malls and hypermarkets nationwide.

According to the report, AEON will sell BYD vehicles under its own pricing system and offer incentives such as reward points and discounts on home charging installations. Buyers will earn AEON’s digital currency “WAON” points and receive discounts of up to several hundred thousand yen.

When combined with national and local government subsidies, the total benefit can reach around 1 million yen ($65,88). Taking BYD’s compact SUV Dolphin as an example—priced at 2.99 million yen ($197,00)—the actual purchase price after subsidies would drop to roughly 2 million yen ($13,180).

AEON will handle order processing and contract signing, while cooperating with BYD Japan dealers for vehicle display and delivery.

The retail group currently operates 164 shopping centers and 374 stores in Japan, equipped with roughly 2,500 EV charging stations—allowing customers to charge their vehicles while shopping and boosting customer engagement.

Traditionally, new car sales and aftersales services in Japan have been dominated by domestic automakers and affiliated dealers.

The partnership between BYD and AEON marks a departure from this model, potentially reshaping the country’s automotive retail landscape and pioneering a new approach for Chinese EV brands in Japan.

Japan’s EV market remains heavily skewed toward local manufacturers. According to data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Light Motor Vehicle Association, during the first half of fiscal year 2025 (April–September), the top three selling models were Honda’s N-BOX, Suzuki’s Spacia, and Toyota’s Yaris. Seven of the top ten models belonged to Toyota.

In the same period, domestic sales of battery-electric passenger vehicles (including kei cars) reached about 28,500 units, up 3% year-on-year, yet accounted for only around 1% of total new car sales, underscoring the market’s slow electrification pace.

However, BYD’s performance in Japan is accelerating. In September alone, BYD sold 802 vehicles in Japan—nearly tripling from a year earlier—and captured about 20% of all imported BEV sales, with key models including the Dolphin and the Seal 7.

BYD aims to expand its dealership network in Japan to 100 locations by 2025 and plans to launch a Japan-specific battery-electric kei car in 2026.