BYD, the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) maker, has taken delivery of two new car-carrying ships – the largest yet in a growing fleet – as it bets on export growth to counter brutal competition at home.
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The Shenzhen-based company took delivery of its sixth carrier, the BYD Changsha, which can transport 9,200 vehicles, on Tuesday, just three days after it received the Xi’an, another vessel with the same capacity.
The company’s six roll on/roll off vessels had a combined capacity of 45,600 vehicles, and another two ships with a combined capacity of 16,200 cars were due for delivery in coming months, BYD said.
The Xi’an was put to work immediately; laden with 7,000 EVs, it set sail on Tuesday from Taicang, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, bound for European countries including Italy, the UK, Spain and Belgium, BYD said.
“The ships reflect BYD’s resolve to achieve higher sales in markets outside mainland China, since it can enjoy a higher profit margin abroad,” said Chen Jinzhu, CEO of consultancy Shanghai Mingliang Auto Service. “With car carriers owned and operated by the company, it can quicken its export pace and save ocean transport costs.”
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BYD exported 374,200 vehicles in the first five months of 2025, up 112 per cent from a year earlier. Exports accounted for 21.5 per cent of its total deliveries, compared with just 10 per cent in 2024.
As its EVs are subject to a 27 per cent tariff in the European Union, BYD’s most affordable model, the Dolphin Surf, starts at €22,990 (US$26,679) on the continent. In mainland China, the same model, known as the Seagull, starts at 69,800 yuan (US$9,726), or about 63 per cent less.