Former Honda Australia director and chief operating officer (COO), Stephen Collins, has been appointed COO of BYD’s new factory-backed Australian operation.
Mr Collins joins BYD Australia as it takes over the local distributorship from EVDirect amid a raft of model launches, including the Atto 2 compact electric SUV and its first seven-seater, the Sealion 8 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUV.
“I’m excited to join BYD at such a pivotal time in its journey,” Mr Collins said in a statement. “The transition to fully factory backed distribution offers a unique opportunity to help shape the future of automotive innovation in Australia.
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Above: BYD Atto 2 (left); BYD Sealion 8 (right)
“With BYD’s global foundation, I’m looking forward to driving long-term growth that results in more Australians experiencing BYD’s cutting-edge technology and commitment to redefining value.”
BYD launched in Australia in 2022 through importer EVDirect with bold ambitions to become the best-selling carmaker in Australia – planning to end decades of Toyota dominance at the top – by 2030.
In the first five months of 2025, BYD has sold twice as many vehicles in Australia as Honda, with 15,199 sales for the Chinese brand against the Japanese carmaker’s 6557.
Mr Collins spent 11 of his 13-plus years at Honda Australia running the company, where he unified the brand’s previously separate automotive, motorcycle and power equipment operations into a single business unit.
He also oversaw the brand’s controversial move to a Tesla-like agency sales model in July 2021, later adopted by Mercedes-Benz.
The new distribution model saw automakers own all vehicle stock at dealerships – instead of selling vehicles to dealers – and introduced fixed customer pricing nationwide, with customers and dealers unable to negotiate on prices.
Both Mercedes-Benz and Honda faced legal challenges from dealer groups who were against the transition to the model.
While the German brand is still in court with a number of dealers, in December 2024 Honda Australia was ordered to pay $13.6 million to Brighton Automotive, a Victorian dealer, after the Victorian Supreme Court ruled the carmaker broke its contract with the dealer early.
Mr Collins left Honda in November 2022 and was succeeded as the director by Carolyn McMahon, who handed the reign to Jay Joseph in February 2025 following Ms McMahon’s appointment as Honda New Zealand president.
In addition to Honda, Mr Collins has spent time at Nissan Australia – which remains ahead of BYD on the local sales charts for now – and the FCAI (Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries) during his automotive career.
In his new role at BYD, Mr Collins will report to BYD Australia general manager Wing You, with the brand climbing up the sales charts to finish 12th for the month of May 2025.
“Stephen brings a wealth of experience that will be crucial in shaping the next steps of BYD Australia’s future,” Mr You said in a statement.
“Our team is growing, and we think that’s only going to enhance the customer experience for anyone considering a BYD vehicle.”
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