BYD partners with ATL to offer NEVs in the Caribbean

China's largest NEV maker BYD has partnered with Jamaica's ATL Automotive to offer its vehicles in 10 countries in the Caribbean.

According to their deal signed on Monday, ATL Automotive will take direct control of the sales and aftersales of BYD in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Cayman, Curacao, Barbados, Aruba, Antigua, Saint Lucia, Guyana and Suriname.

Neva Zhang, BYD's manager of Caribbean and Central American countries, said it is the right decision to reach strategic cooperation with ATL Automotive.

"In the coming year, together with ATL, we will complete the construction of 10 showrooms and offer better user experiences, promoting sustainable mobility in the region," Zhang said.

ATL Automotive's Executive Chairman Adam Stewart said the company's discussions with BYD have been ongoing for the better part of a year and a half so ATL is thrilled to finally sign on the dotted line.

"BYD is a simply incredible company with a history much like ours in the sense that it started very humbly with one salesman knocking on the doors of phone companies trying to sell them batteries, much like my father in the very early days of Appliance Traders.

"It has since transformed into one of the world's leading car companies that represent an exciting future for the global industry," said Stewart.

ATL Automotive was formed in 1997 as the authorized car distributor for Honda in Jamaica. It began operations with a staff of 60, which today, has grown to 600.

In 2009, it added Volkswagen and Audi to its vehicle brand portfolio. In 2015, ATL went on to become the master car dealer for BMW and Mini in the Caribbean.

Out of Jamaica, ATL Automotive runs two offices which manage 11 markets across the Caribbean for BMW and Mini. It has also added the South Korean brand Kia to its portfolio of vehicle brands.