BYD is taking orders for its Atto 3 electric crossovers in South Korea at a starting price of 31.5 million won ($21,600), which is lower than that of almost all offerings from Hyundai and Kia, as the Chinese firm hopes to gain market share through an aggressive pricing strategy. Another two models, the Seal electric sedan and Sealion 7 crossover will hit the market in the second half of this year, Inchul Cho, managing director at BYD Korea’s passenger-car business, said on Thursday. Meanwhile, China’s biggest automaker by sales will open 15 showrooms and 11 after-service centers in the country, having partnered with six dealers late last year. The country’s EV sales dropped 10% last year, when hybrid sales were up by about a third, partly due to concerns about safety issues concerning EV batteries after a fire broke out in an unplugged Mercedes-Benz sedan in an underground garage last August, Bloomberg reported. [Bloomberg]

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