Reverse invasion, small Chinese EV vans are penetrating Japan

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers like DFSK and BYD will ramp up exports of EV vans to Japan soon, as Japanese manufacturers can’t cope with demand.

According to a report by Nikkei Asia, DFSK will supply 5,000 units of its EV vans to Japan’s SBS Group. SBS Group will also buy another 5,000 EV vans from other Chinese manufacturers.

BYD and DFSK are just two examples of Chinese manufacturers aiming to fill a gap in Japan’s transport market where companies are in the midst of switching to more eco-friendly vehicles to comply with the country’s tightening emission regulations.

Ever since companies began shifting from traditional petrol vans to EV vans, Japanese manufacturers have not been able to cope with the demand, thus raising concerns that they could lose out to the Chinese.

The first batch of EV vans supplied by DFSK to SBS were in fact designed by folofly, a Japanese EV start-up, but the model is manufactured by DFSK.

Over the next 5 years, SBS will gradually replace its fleet of 5,000 diesel vans with cleaner EV replacements.

Although Japanese manufacturers like Suzuki and Daihatsu have announced their participation in an EV van program led by Toyota, they might be one step too slow to capture the rise in online shopping as the Covid-19 pandemic drove up demand for small delivery vans.

But it’s not just the SBS Group that will be shifting to EV vans; Sagawa Express has purchased 7,200 small EVs from Guangxi Automobile Group's subsidiary, Wuling, with deliveries set to commence next year.

At the moment, the most popular EV delivery van in Japan is the Mitsubishi Minicab MiEV. Nissan has since discontinued the e-NV200, as the company is in a transition period to introduce the brand-new Nissan Townstar. 

Also Read: How many EVs are there on Malaysia roads? Slightly under 500, which brand leads?