BYD Australia has unveiled its youth-focused “Flavours of Summer” campaign, introducing the ATTO 1 and ATTO 2 to appeal to Gen Z and Millennial drivers. Led by new CMO Kate Hornstein, the initiative blends music, design and influencer partnerships to position BYD as an accessible, culturally connected EV brand amid soaring sales.
BYD’s latest campaign, Flavours of Summer, signals a decisive shift in how the rapidly expanding electric vehicle brand intends to establish itself in the imaginations—and lifestyles—of young Australian drivers. As Chinese-built vehicles surge in sales nationwide, BYD is seizing its momentum with a youth-focused platform built around identity, culture and emotional connection rather than the traditional tropes of automotive advertising. The result is a summer-driven brand world anchored in colour, music, creative expression and accessibility at a time when Gen Z and Millennials are entering the car market amid financial pressure and rising expectations for sustainability.
The campaign arrives at a moment of historic growth for Chinese automotive brands in Australia. VFACTS reports a 40% year-on-year rise in Chinese-manufactured vehicle sales, with BYD alone surpassing 41,800 units sold so far this year. Those numbers reflect a wave of shifting perceptions as Australian drivers increasingly move beyond legacy manufacturers and explore affordable, tech-rich alternatives. For BYD, the opportunity is clear: young buyers represent the next generation of EV adopters, and they are looking for vehicles that fit their identities as much as their budgets.
Flavours of Summer is one of the first major brand initiatives launched under BYD’s inaugural chief marketing officer, Kate Hornstein, who stepped into the newly created CMO role in May after previously leading local marketing efforts through EVDirect. Her appointment formalised BYD’s strategic pivot toward more emotionally resonant, culturally informed marketing—an approach she has championed as essential to the brand’s long-term relevance. With EV sales accelerating and competition heating up, Hornstein’s task is to ensure BYD stands for more than price: it must represent meaning, aspiration and personality for the drivers who will shape Australia’s electric future.
Central to the campaign is the introduction of the ATTO 1 and ATTO 2, two new electric vehicles framed around “premium affordability.” Positioned as accessible yet stylish options for younger consumers, the models are built on BYD’s next-generation e-Platform 3.0 architecture and Blade Battery system—technology engineered for Australian conditions and intended to compete directly with entry-level EVs from established automakers. While the hardware signals capability, the campaign focuses on the emotional dimension of car ownership: the feeling of expression, freedom and belonging that young drivers seek.
“Flavours of Summer is all about connecting emotionally with our audience,” Hornstein said. “We wanted to build a campaign that feels grounded in Australian culture—celebrating individuality, music, and creativity—while making sustainable mobility something aspirational and expressive.” Her words underscore a generational shift in automotive values. For Gen Z and many Millennials, a car is less a status symbol and more an extension of lifestyle—a tool for experiences, content creation, movement and identity. Performance and practicality matter, but so does the vibe.
The campaign borrows from music culture, festival energy and the aesthetics of digital-first creativity. Rather than relying on traditional auto advertising, BYD is embracing an earned-first strategy supported by creator partnerships, lifestyle-driven storytelling and visual content aligned with self-expression. Influencers and cultural collaborators play a central role, reflecting the brand’s belief that organic advocacy and community-centred engagement are more powerful than polished television spots or dealership-focused promotions. In this context, the car becomes a character in a broader narrative about creativity, connection and summer energy.
The Sydney launch event brought this philosophy to life with a multisensory showcase designed for creators as much as customers. Media, influencers and guests were invited into a high-colour, high-sound environment built around the aesthetic themes of the campaign. A performance from ARIA-nominated artist Ninajirachi underscored BYD’s commitment to music culture, while the staging—hyper-visual, immersive and social-media-ready—reinforced the brand’s desire to speak to young consumers in their own visual language. The event felt less like a car launch and more like a collision of tech, design and youth culture.
Out-of-home partnerships and earned media efforts will extend the campaign across the summer, ensuring visibility in high-traffic youth environments such as urban precincts, entertainment districts and transit hubs. BYD’s goal is clear: embed the ATTO 1 and ATTO 2 into the spaces where young Australians already spend their time. In a category where buyers often begin their consideration journeys through digital discovery rather than dealership visits, visibility and vibe matter.
BYD’s push into culture-driven storytelling also reflects broader trends in the automotive industry, in which younger consumers are increasingly motivated by design, lifestyle alignment, digital activation and sustainability. Gen Z in particular is known for making values-based purchase decisions, with climate awareness shaping their interest in EVs. But cost pressures remain high, making affordability—a pillar of BYD’s brand proposition—an essential entry point. By building a creative platform where affordability does not compromise style or expression, BYD aims to shift the narrative: electric vehicles can be both accessible and aspirational.
The Flavours of Summer campaign also signals a deeper ambition for BYD: to grow from a fast-selling EV brand into a pop-cultural presence. Hornstein’s expanded remit includes strengthening creative, PR and cultural partnerships in order to define BYD’s identity more holistically. As the company moves beyond the early-adopter phase of EV marketing, it must inspire a mainstream audience and cultivate emotional loyalty—goals that rely on storytelling as much as specifications.
Importantly, the campaign is not just about capturing attention; it is about shifting perception of what BYD represents. By embedding itself in creativity, music and youth expression, the brand seeks to move beyond the narrative of Chinese affordability and toward a position rooted in aspiration and cultural involvement. For a brand looking to build longevity in a rapidly diversifying market, such positioning could be decisive.
Creative development and influencer strategy for the campaign were led by Acuity Communications Advisory, part of Thrive PR & Communications. Their work brings coherence to BYD’s ambition to merge technology with culture, ensuring the brand’s message resonates authentically rather than feeling imposed. In an era when young audiences are increasingly skeptical of traditional marketing, authenticity is not just a strategy but a necessity.
As BYD continues to expand its footprint and prepares for another year of record sales in 2025, Flavours of Summer stands as a signal of the brand’s future direction: culturally attuned, emotionally rich, community-minded and unapologetically youth-focused. It suggests that the future of EV marketing in Australia will be driven not only by efficiency and engineering, but by the stories, aesthetics and experiences that surround the vehicles.
For BYD, the road ahead is not just electric—it is expressive, collaborative and culturally charged. And for young Australian drivers stepping into the EV era, Flavours of Summer invites them into a brand world built to reflect who they are, how they live and the future they want to drive.
