BYD sets fleet and family targets for M9 people mover

A role for fleets and families

BYD Australia has set a sales target for its new M9 plug-in hybrid people mover: 200–300 vehicles a month, divided roughly equally between fleet and private buyers. Chief product officer Sajid Hasan gave those targets to GoAuto, saying the eight-seat Dynamic could have a stronger fleet and rental role than other BYD models, while the seven-seat Premium would also suit families. The targets are not reported sales. Separately, chief operating officer Stephen Collins told CarExpert, in an interview published by 7NEWS, that BYD wants to increase fleets’ share of its broader Australian sales mix to the mid-30s percentage range. ¹²

Hasan told GoAuto that Australian people-mover sales total about 13,000 a year and that the segment’s fleet and private purchases are approximately evenly split. He described the M9 as another three-row choice for BYD customers alongside the Sealion 8. The two M9 grades give the company different seating configurations for those intended buyers, though Hasan’s monthly figure remains an ambition rather than a forecast backed by orders. ¹

BYD’s wider fleet target

Collins told GoAuto that fleets account for about 20 per cent of BYD’s current sales mix, up from roughly seven per cent a year earlier, and put the company’s target at around 35 per cent. His separate comments to CarExpert described the current share as 20 per cent and the goal as the mid-30s. He also identified the Shark 6 and Seal 6 as vehicles relevant to fleet customers; BYD is not assigning its fleet-mix target to the M9 alone. ¹²

CarExpert reported that BYD sold 52,415 vehicles in Australia in 2025, with 82.8 per cent going to private buyers and 15.9 per cent to businesses; government and rental customers accounted for the remainder. Those full-year buyer categories should not be treated as a direct measure of Collins’s more recent, rounded fleet share. Collins also told CarExpert that BYD had 120 Australian retailers and expected 150 by the end of 2026 and 200 by the end of 2027. The latter figures are company expectations, not existing outlets. ²

Prices and planned arrival

RACQ reported on 18 September that the eight-seat M9 Dynamic has a manufacturer’s recommended list price of $61,990, while the seven-seat Premium is $72,990. These are list prices excluding on-road costs, not location-specific drive-away quotes. Although the Dynamic is the cheaper grade, RACQ said the Premium would reach showrooms first. ⁴

The announced timing has more detail for the Premium than for the Dynamic. In August, Zecar reported BYD’s plan for the Premium to arrive in Australian showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2026, with the Dynamic to follow on an unconfirmed date. Zecar said prices had not been announced at that stage; RACQ’s later September report supplied list prices and also put the Premium first. Neither account establishes an exact delivery date for either grade. ³⁴

Plug-in hybrid specifications and space

According to RACQ, both front-wheel-drive M9 variants use BYD’s DM-i 5.0 plug-in hybrid system, pairing a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor. The Premium has a 36.60kWh BYD Blade Battery and the Dynamic a 20.39kWh battery. RACQ lists up to 145km of electric range and up to 850km of combined range for the Premium under the WLTP test standard. Those are quoted test-cycle figures, not independent road-test results; Zecar reported that separate range figures for the Dynamic had not been confirmed. ⁴³

RACQ says both grades support AC and DC charging and vehicle-to-load functionality, which allows the vehicle to supply power to external devices. It lists the M9 at 5145mm long, 1970mm wide and 1805mm high on a 3045mm wheelbase. RACQ also reports 470 litres of luggage space with all seats occupied and a 1500kg braked towing capacity. Those dimensions and capacities describe the M9, rather than a particular seating grade. ⁴

Equipment and people-mover alternatives

RACQ lists a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, over-the-air updates and four-zone voice control for both M9 grades. It also describes an integrated compartment that can cool or heat its contents. The Premium adds heated and ventilated front seats and second-row captain’s chairs with heating and ventilation. ⁴

For safety and assistance equipment, RACQ lists up to nine airbags, a 360-degree camera, five millimetre-wave radars, eight ultrasonic sensors and driver-assistance technologies. The wording ‘up to’ matters for the airbag count; it should not be read as a confirmed nine airbags in every configuration. ⁴

RACQ places the M9 among people movers including the Kia Carnival and Hyundai Staria, as well as the Denza D9, GAC M8 and Zeekr 009. Zecar identifies the Denza D9 as a fully electric model, distinguishing it from the M9’s plug-in hybrid drivetrain. That powertrain distinction does not establish how the vehicles compare on price, range or equipment. ⁴³