Kathmandu- Cimex, the official distributor of BYD vehicles in Nepal, has been misleading customers by claiming that replacing the Atto 3’s battery is affordable. However, when customers actually need a replacement, the price turns out to be much higher than promised. This deceptive practice has been observed in BYD showrooms across Nepal, where dealers are making false claims about battery replacement costs to sell more cars.
A recent investigation by Biznessnews surveyed multiple BYD showrooms to check how much it really costs to replace an Atto 3 battery. The findings revealed major inconsistencies, with Cimex giving different dealers different numbers, all while hiding the true cost from buyers.
Here’s what different showrooms told customers about battery replacement:
Bhairahawa Showroom: Sales representatives said individual battery cells could be replaced for Rs 6,000 each. Since the Atto 3 battery has 105 cells, they estimated a full replacement would cost Rs 7 lakh, including service charges.
Pokhara Showroom: The sales team said battery replacement would follow Cimex's official pricing, which they claimed was Rs 15 lakh.
Chitwan Showroom: Sales staff highlighted BYD’s blade battery technology and warned that replacements would be expensive, quoting Rs 16 lakh.
Janakpur Showroom: Customers were told the entire battery system would need replacing in case of an issue, costing between Rs 17 to 18 lakh.
Birtamod Showroom: Staff admitted that replacing individual cells might not be possible due to a lack of technology and manpower, so the full battery pack would have to be replaced at Cimex’s pricing.
However, when customers actually inquire with Cimex, they are given a much higher bill of Rs 21.95 lakh for a battery replacement.
Hidden Costs and Price Manipulation
A quotation from Superior Motors in Biratnagar, later revised by Cimex, put the total cost of high-voltage battery replacement at Rs 50.58 lakh—with just the battery itself priced at Rs 21.95 lakh.
This directly contradicts the misleading statements made by dealers who initially promised battery replacements as low as Rs 7 lakh. Some showrooms even claimed prices might go down in the future, but in reality, Cimex is charging over three times more than what customers were led to believe.
Cimex’s Track Record of Unethical Practices
This isn’t the first time Cimex has been caught deceiving customers. Biznessnews previously exposed a tax evasion scandal involving BYD’s older e6 models. At the time, Cimex denied the allegations, calling the reports false. However, the Revenue Tribunal ruled against Cimex, proving that the company had indeed committed tax fraud.
Biznessnews also revealed excessive repair charges for minor damages on BYD vehicles.
In one case in Dharan, an Atto 3 with a minor bumper dent was initially quoted Rs 25 lakh for repairs by a BYD service center in Biratnagar. But after Cimex got involved, the repair estimate doubled to Rs 50.58 lakh—more than 70 percent of the car’s original price.
In most cases, when repair costs exceed 70 percent of a car’s value, the vehicle is considered a total loss, meaning the owner gets a payout from insurance instead of repairing it. But Cimex inflated the repair costs to manipulate insurance claims and force customers to pay higher service fees.
BYD’s Silence on Cimex’s Deceptive PracticesDespite BYD’s rapid global growth, the company has done nothing to stop Cimex’s unethical business practices in Nepal. Consumers are being misled about significant services like battery replacement, spare parts, and repair with concealed charges and false promises.
Potential buyers of a BYD Atto 3 in Nepal must do their own research. Real ownership expenses may be quite different from what the dealers are claiming.
