After last week's Expo Auto Chino openings, Argentina's newest Chinese-brand news is a set of on-sale announcements: Lynk & Co's 900 as the brand's flagship, Geely's Riddara R6 PHEV pickup, a cheaper Tiggo 4 Pro and Chery's Arrizo 8 CSH Luxury. The larger story is BYD, which says it has sold more than 10,000 vehicles in a year and is weighing battery investment.
BYD's first year and a battery question
BYD marked one year since its Argentine launch with more than 10,000 vehicles sold and more than 20 official sales locations. Argentina's foreign minister said BYD is assessing battery and energy-storage opportunities tied to the country's lithium chain after a meeting with a BYD vice-president in Singapore. There is no factory decision, timetable or amount.
New models on sale
- Lynk & Co's 900 goes on sale at US$129,500 as the brand's local flagship; 20 units were reserved during the expo presale. The plug-in hybrid delivers 720 hp.
- Geely's Riddara R6 PHEV pickup is priced at US$37,800, with 349 hp combined; the report notes it has only two airbags.
- Chery added the Tiggo 4 Pro Luxury at US$28,700, below the Tiggo 4 CSH hybrid, and the Arrizo 8 CSH Luxury at US$35,800, US$1,200 above the Comfort.
- Deepal opened reservations for the S05 plug-in hybrid at US$34,000, its first model for Argentina, with retail sales expected before year-end.
- Foton's eView Connect electric van is in pre-sale from US$45,000 before tax, with deliveries expected December to January.
Price ranking
In the October ranking of the ten least expensive new cars, the JMEV Easy 3 leads at 26,026,000 pesos, and three Chinese-brand models are in the list as most automakers raise list prices.
What it means
- Prices in dollars from US$28,700 to US$129,500 show Chinese brands filling both entry and flagship positions at once.
- The BYD battery talk is exploratory; it should be read as a signal of interest, not a project.