(Yicai Global) June 12 -- Four BYD showrooms and service centers in Hong Kong were splashed with red paint or had their gate rammed in the early hours of this morning, local media outlet Sing Tao Headline reported.

BYD, a Shenzhen-based electric carmaker, had not responded to Yicai Global’s inquiries as of the time of going to press.

According to the report, the four stores are located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Yuen Long, Wan Chai, and Tin Shui Wai, and the Hong Kong police have launched investigations.

The vandals damaged them over a short period of three hours, the report said, citing a sales manager at BYD local dealer JC Motor, who also noted that BYD’s sales have been exceptional. He hoped the police give importance to the incident and bring the culprits to justice.

The showrooms and service centers that were targeted are all equipped with closed-circuit television, and the matter has been handed over to the police, according to Samson Tsui, operations director at JC Motor.

Tsui expected the showrooms in Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai to resume business today or tomorrow after the paint is cleaned away, but the Yuen Long store that had its iron gate rammed will not reopen for a few days.

BYD entered the Hong Kong market last year with the Atto 3, and will launch a new model, the Dolphin, in the future. BYD overtook Tesla to rank first in January with local sales of 344 units. It aims to sell 8,000 cars in the special administrative region this year.

BYD’s electric elevated train SkyShuttle is also expected to be used inHong Kong, Liu Xueliang, general manager of the firm’s Asian Pacific auto sales division, said in April, adding that the company also plans to deploy and update 3,000 BYD electric taxis.

BYD failed in the local market previously. It put 50 e6 all-electric taxis into service in Hong Kong at the start of 2013, but withdrew the fleet over the next five years due to reasons such as charging, costs, range, and maintenance.

Editor: Peter Thomas