Electric dreams
“Two great brands come together,” said Andrea Barry, strategy director of the historic Pupkewitz Group of Companies, at the official launch of BYD in Namibia at Eros Airport recently.
Barry’s great-grandparents founded the diversified Pupkewitz business in Namibia in 1925, while Chinese metallurgist and entrepreneur Wang Chuanfu founded BYD in 1995.
In its quest to become the world’s leading seller of electric vehicles, BYD established a foothold in South Africa in 2023.
Barry said the two brands share “entrepreneurial courage, unbending work ethic and a determination to meet people’s needs”.
Build Your Dreams (BYD) has become one of the world’s leading new-energy vehicle manufacturers. Through Pupkewitz Motors, the global automotive brand is now available to Namibian consumers through dedicated BYD retail locations and customer touchpoints in Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Ongwediva.
According to Pupkewitz Motors, the vehicle portfolio combines electric mobility with modern technology, safety, comfort and distinctive design.
Barry emphasised the trust Namibians place in the Pupkewitz brand and its track record of introducing new brands to the local market.
“We bring that same enthusiasm and commitment to BYD to offer more choice in how we travel,” she said.
Noting Namibia’s abundant sunshine, she also highlighted the potential to link cleaner energy with mobility.
“Through the strength of Pupkewitz and BYD, we aim to improve lives and provide quality products. We are deeply committed to BYD’s success in Namibia and are proud to begin this journey together. I love the way we punch above our weight in Namibia,” she said.
“We are excited to introduce Namibians to a brand that has placed innovation and new-energy mobility at the centre of its global strategy,” said Nico Pieters, franchise executive.
“Our ambition is not simply to introduce new vehicles to the market, but to create an experience around new-energy mobility that is relevant to Namibian customers. We look forward to building awareness, educating consumers and allowing customers to experience BYD for themselves,” he added.
On behalf of BYD South Africa, commercial director Mark Handley said the world was “falling in love” with electric vehicles (EVs). “With 20 million EVs sold in 2025, everyone can’t be wrong. EVs have already displaced 1.7 million barrels of oil use per day, almost 2%,” he said.
Nor are BYD EVs boring, he added, pointing to the Seal Performance AWD, which outputs 390kW and can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds on a full charge. “I challenge you to find that boring,” he said.
“It is not just about the cost of mobility but also driver mobility. BYD is serious about changing the world. Technology, mobility and changing the world equals BYD,” he said. “From a car-making point of view, BYD is young, only some 20 years old, but by 2025 it was the sixth-biggest car brand on Earth. It is intent on changing the world into a better place,” he said.
BYD has 12 factories in nine countries and files 45 patents a day from 40 offices globally. It operates in 113 countries and employs 120,000 engineers among its one million employees, Handley said.
“BYD has three green dreams: new-energy creation, energy storage and products like the cars. It is vertically integrated, doing everything in-house and achieving cost reductions between 30% and 40% to provide the same quality at a much lower price,” he said.
“Why the small market of Namibia? Because we found a great partner and our cars are perfectly fit for purpose in this market. Take the Atto 2, which can charge anywhere as you don’t need a DC charger. Charge it at home with the cables that come standard,” Handley said.
He also praised Pupkewitz’s community initiatives. “The Pupkewitz Group is actively involved in Namibia, and it gives back, with one million Namibians impacted positively through its efforts to promote maths and science. It inspires us,” he said.
BYD South Africa dealer development manager Neil Moodally said: “Let us drive the future together. We control our own destiny.”
“We at BYD SA are delighted to be in Namibia and to have Pupkewitz as a partner,” he said.
Among the models being introduced to the Namibian market are the BYD Dolphin, Dolphin Surf, Sealion 5, Sealion 6, Shark 6, Sealion 7 and Seal Performance.
The BYD Shark 6, in particular, brings a new dimension to the pickup segment, combining the versatility expected from a pickup with BYD’s approach to new-energy technology, Pupkewitz Motors said.
Introducing invited guests to some of the products, including the new Shark 6, Pupkewitz Motors senior business leader Armand Barnard said he was confident the partnership “will make a lot of Namibians proud with the products we are selling”.
