On March 13, Stella Li (李柯), Executive Vice President of BYD (比亚迪), announced in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that the company’s Brazilian plant has successfully secured export orders for a total of 100,000 new energy vehicles from Argentina and Mexico. According to the agreement, Argentina and Mexico will each receive 50,000 units. This major development marks the entry of BYD's Latin American strategy, centered in Brazil, into a phase of large-scale operation.
The core of this order delivery is the BYD Camaçari plant in Brazil, which officially began production on July 1, 2025. Built on the site of a former Ford factory with a total investment of 5.5 billion BRL, the plant achieved its first vehicle roll-off in just 15 months. Currently, the plant has an annual production capacity of 150,000 units, with plans to expand in stages to 600,000 units to serve the entire Mercosur market. This base is not only BYD's largest overseas vehicle manufacturing center but also integrates battery assembly and commercial vehicle production functions.
The factory primarily produces popular models such as the Dolphin Mini, BYD King, and Song Pro (宋Pro). Among them, the Dolphin Mini has become a phenomenal product in the Brazilian market due to its high cost-performance ratio, successfully becoming the monthly sales champion for passenger cars in Brazil in February 2026—the first pure electric model to achieve this honor locally.
In response to the gradual increase in automobile import tariffs by Latin American countries, BYD has achieved dual advantages in cost and efficiency through localized production. It is estimated that local assembly in Brazil can reduce total vehicle costs by approximately 22% and significantly shorten delivery cycles. Currently, the localization rate of the plant's workforce exceeds 70%, and it is expected to directly and indirectly create approximately 20,000 jobs for the local community in the future.