BYD hit another milestone on the 27th of November this year. The EV maker’s Thailand factory produced its 70,000th vehicle within 16 months from the start of production.
A MILESTONE FOR BYD
BYD’s Rayong plant recently produced its 70,000th vehicle in late November. Built in July 2024, the facility produces completely knocked down (CKD) vehicles. Three months after it began production, the plant already produced 10,000 vehicles. The 70,000th inaugural vehicle was a Sealion 06 DM-i, which was then delivered to a plant employee.
Not only is this a production milestone for the EV maker, but the achievement also solidifies fellow Chinese EV brands’ “local manufacturing, global distribution” strategy.
The Rayong plant is BYD’s first fully owned facility overseas and has an annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles. Aside from the Sealion 06, the plant also produces 4 other models, such as; the Atto 3, Dolphin, Seal, and Seal 05 DM-i.
Spanning 960,000 square metres, the facility exports vehicles to Germany, Belgium, and the UK—where BYD outsold Tesla earlier this year. These exported vehicles are boarded on the BYD Zhengzhou, the first batch of which were transported last September.
This allows BYD to reduce trade costs, such as 10 per cent customs duty and an additional 20.7 per cent additional tariff imposed by the European Union. This brings BYD’s year-to-date export tally to 131,935 units, 352.91 per cent more than the same period in 2024.
BYD IN ASIA
Despite filing a large recall in October, BYD continues to establish a firm presence across Asia. Last year, it partnered with Indonesia’s state-owned electricity company, PLN, to strengthen EV-charging services in the country.
The EV maker is also constructing a plant in Indonesia’s West Java province, set to start production next year. In addition to this, another plant in Malaysia is on the way and will begin production the same year.
Malaysia is also the site of another company collaboration, this time with ride-hailing app Grab. BYD is currently Grab’s fleet provider for airport ride-hailing services in the country.
Meanwhile nearby, BYD continued its lead as Singapore’s top-selling car brand for 9 consecutive months last October. The EV maker recorded almost double of Toyota’s sales, dethroning the Japanese automaker as the number 1 car brand in Singapore.
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