Hyundai did it. Their rep was abysmal in the 80s/early 90s. Their ad slogan was literally “Hyundai. Yes, Hyundai.” because you’d have to say that to anyone who asked what steaming pile you spent $5999 on. But they doubled down on warranty long enough to become a credible choice.

BYD also has the advantage of being able to enter a fairly green-field market. There’s few to no cheap electric cars from established brands to conpete with.