Castrol – one of the world’s leading lubricant brands – and BYD (China), one of China’s largest manufacturers of electric vehicles (BEVs), have signed a new three-year strategic collaboration agreement. BYD sold almost 600,000 BEVs last year+, plans to increase this to a million units in 2022, and is actively promoting exports to over 60 countries. BYD will use Castrol ON advanced EV fluids in their growing range of electric vehicles. The agreement follows existing first-fill and service-fill supply arrangements that commenced last year.
As part of the latest agreement and based on testing, BYD will officially recommend the use of Castrol ON EV Transmission Fluid within its Han luxury flagship car. The mid-size electric sedan, which has a driving range of up to 376 miles (605 km)#, is one of the most popular plug-in cars in China, with over 150,000 units sold since its launch in 2020. Joint marketing activities between the two companies will highlight the benefits of Castrol ON products in China, the largest EV market in the world.
BYD will promote Castrol ON products in its online stores, aftersales centres and across its dealer network in China. Both companies will use co-branded assets to market the products in a series of service campaigns designed to inform car owners about the benefits of using EV-specific lubricants. BYD was the first global automaker to launch Castrol ON EV products across its aftersales operations in January 2021.
“Castrol and BYD have a long-standing relationship, and this is an important milestone in the development of Castrol’s new energy business in China. This strategic cooperation with BYD will help us pursue EV opportunities in both first-fill and service-fill, underpinning Castrol’s leading position in the China EV market.” said Mike Zhang, Vice President Castrol China
The cooperation agreement will also see BYD (China) promote the use of Castrol ON EV Transmission Fluid by the brand’s New Energy Vehicle (NEV) racing team competing in the China Rally Championship (CRC). Castrol ON products deliver the performance, efficiency, and durability necessary to win on demanding rally stages.
Zhang commented “Castrol and BYD have a long-standing relationship, and this is an important milestone in the development of Castrol’s new energy business in China. This strategic cooperation with BYD will help us pursue EV opportunities in both first-fill and service-fill, underpinning Castrol’s leading position in the China EV market.”
Sumeet Wadhwa, Electric Vehicle and Growth Unit Marketing Director Castrol commented: “This strategic collaboration agreement is an important milestone in the deployment of our advanced range of Castrol ON EV fluids. As the world continues to transition towards electric mobility and a sustainable future, it’s essential automakers such as BYD and their customers have access to high-quality fluids that enhance the performance and durability of their EVs.”
Zikai Gao, Managing Director, BYD Global After-sales Division, commented: “BYD was the first to introduce Castrol ON EV Fluids for the after-service business in January 2021 and we now officially recommend the use of Castrol ON EV Transmission Fluid for our luxury flagship sedan, Han. As we announce the end of production of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, we believe this partnership with Castrol will go towards helping us accelerate EV adoption across the world.”
