It certainly did not drop to A$5, but 'Herald Sun' online in Melbourne on Friday 12 August 2022 has this:

(note the 'free' mention of APE, and how the first vehicles haven't gone to Melbourne where APE is weak):

BYD Atto 3 arrives in Australia, priced from $45,000

The first boatloads of BYD Atto 3 SUVs are on their way to Australia and it could be a game-changer for the new car market.

Richard Blackburn

@RTMBlackburn

3 min read

August 12, 2022 - 12:34PM

News Corp Australia NetworkNews Corp

		heraldsun.com.au | 02:10 Hyundai Ioniq 5 wins 2021 News Corp Car of the Year

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The striking looking electric car has beaten a field of seven finalists to be crowned this year's winner.

Boatloads of cut-price Chinese-built electric vehicles are being shipped out to Australian customers, in what shapes as a tipping point in the transition to zero-emission cars.

Local distributor EV Direct has struck a deal with Chinese EV giant, BYD, to import up to 6000 Atto 3 electric SUVs by the end of this year, before adding two more models to the line-up in December.

Named the Dolphin and the Seal in China, the two vehicles will be a smaller “sub $40,000” compact Toyota Corolla-sized hatch and a more expensive four-door sports sedan that is similar to the Tesla Model 3.

The cars are expected to go on sale in December for delivery early in the New Year.

The range will eventually expand to up to five vehicles in the next two years and could include an electric ute.

The BYD Atto 3 electric SUV could change the way Australians think about electric vehicles. Picture: David McCowen

EV Direct chief executive Luke Todd predicted BYD would become a top five brand within 24 months.

He said the brand’s Chinese production line had the ability to produce 3000 of the mid-size SUVs each month and ultimately 36,000 cars a year.

BYD is the biggest manufacturer of electric vehicles – if you include plug-in hybrids – in the world.

Locally, the brand has 4000 orders from customers.

That order bank means BYD should be the second biggest EV brand in Australia – behind Tesla – by the end of the year.

But Mr Todd said BYD wasn’t looking to take on the established EV brands in Australia, which were typically priced at more than $65,000.

Soccer star Tim Cahill unveils the new BYD electric vehicles in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Jeremy Piper

“Our competition isn’t the other EV makers, we’re going mainstream.

“We are trying to reach people that are not EV converts. We want more Australians to realise the benefits. We’re taking on the mainstream automotive vehicles and want to see more clean vehicles on the road,” he said.

The Atto 3 starts at about $45,000 drive-away and buyers are eligible for a $3000 rebate in most states.

A longer range version, which will travel a claimed 480km between charges, costs roughly $48,000 drive-away.

Mr Todd said the Federal Government’s decision to waive Fringe Benefits Tax on salary sacrifice car leases for EVs would create a “tsunami” of interest in the brand.

“People don’t yet realise how big this will be. When you do the numbers of how much better off somebody is by potentially salary sacrificing or taking up the Federal Government’s incentive, it is mammoth.”

The BYD Dolphin is a Corolla-sized hatchback. Picture: Supplied

He claimed people could save between $4000 and $9000 over a comparably priced petrol vehicle over the period of a typical lease, depending on their circumstances.

“For the average Australian that wants to save money it’s a great opportunity. It’s a very, very significant amount of money. And then you’re going to at least halve your fuel costs every week. People are yet to realise there are massive savings on offer by switching to electric vehicles,” he said.

Mr Todd said more than 1000 vehicles had landed in Sydney and Brisbane and are being prepared for delivery to customers early next week.

“Every one has a name on it,” he said.

The BYD Seal will take on the Tesla Model 3. Picture: Supplied

EVDirect has a different sales model to traditional brands. Instead of dealerships it has 12 “experience centres” around Australia that allow customers to look at the vehicles, as well as take test drives. But transactions are completed direct with the brand.

There will be outlets in all major states, as well as Tasmania and the far north.

“They’re not traditional dealerships. They are a much more modern way of doing things where people can still touch and feel the vehicle and have test drives,” he said.

Major dealer franchise group Eagers Automotive will help with distribution, while MyCar will handle servicing. Former senior Toyota executive Tony Cramb is part of the management team.

The Seal has a hi-tech interior. Picture: Supplied

Mr Todd said he was surprised by how many older buyers had embraced the brand.

“We’ve been blown away by the amount of people in that mature bracket. Probably the biggest surprise to us is that we don’t believe that we’ve even touched what is going probably to be the biggest demographic, which is your younger demographic.

“It’s been the more educated consumer that might have the time to look into it and understand the real cost and value and the fact that you’re saving considerable amounts of money with our vehicles, not only the retail price but the amount of money you save on fuel.

“A lot of people in the early days when EVs was all about the environment. What’s about to happen – what I call the tsunami of interest and transition – is when people realise that by switching to electric vehicles, the amount of money they can save week in week out by reduction in fuel, reduction in maintenance cost and reduction in general cost of ownership.”