BYD started exporting its cars in 2005 to Russia, when the company introduced the BYD Flyer hatchback at the 2005 Moscow International Motor Show. In 2009, BYD started exporting cars to Africa, South America, and the Middle East. Since 2021, BYD started expanding its global presence rapidly by prioritizing exports of passenger electric vehicles. Beginning in 2022, BYD has committed to producing right-hand drive versions of several battery electric passenger models for exports to
left-hand traffic countries such as Australia, the UK and Thailand. These include newer models with BYD's third-generation platform (e-Platform 3.0) such as the
Atto 3 (the export version of the
Yuan Plus),
Dolphin and
Seal. For the Dolphin, the company had also done an extensive reengineering to ensure the small car would achieve the highest ratings in
Euro NCAP and
Australasian NCAP testing. Throughout 2023, the company exported over 242,766 passenger new energy vehicles, a year-over-year increase of 334 percent. As of 2023, BYD Auto vehicles are sold in over 70 countries. In 2024, BYD sold 417,204 vehicles overseas. According to
Stella Li, the executive vice president of BYD, the company is aiming to deliver 50% of its production output outside its home market. However, an automotive analyst from
Bloomberg Intelligence China believes that the target is unlikely to be achieved until 2030 or later.
Africa South Africa BYD entered the
South African market in 2023, when it hosted an event to launch its
Atto 3 EV. The company noted stronger demand for greener alternatives in the
South African automotive market, and said that due to the size of SA's economy, there was significant opportunity for electric vehicles such as its own. At launch, BYD also noted the South African government's commitment to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, stating that this aligned with the company's goal of promoting sustainable transportation by reducing carbon footprints through its technology. The company also builds
electric buses for major
Cape Town bus operator
Golden Arrow. The latter has around 100 BYD eBus B12s as part of its fleet, with plans to swap all of its diesel buses to electric ones over time. As of December 2025, BYD sells its Sealion 7, Shark 6, Seal, Atto 3, Sealion 6, Sealion 5, Dolphin, and Dolphin Surf models in SA. BYD is also the largest player in the South African public EV charger sector, and is currently rolling out up to 300
charging stations across the country. In 2022, BYD held a 70% market share of electric buses in Japan. At the
2025 Japan Mobility Show held in October, BYD unveiled the
BYD Racco, a battery electric
kei car designed exclusively for the Japanese market. The Racco is the first purpose-built kei car model from a non-Japanese manufacturer. The Racco will be manufactured in China and exported to Japan, with sales scheduled to commence in summer 2026. In December 2025, BYD launched the
Sealion 6 in Japan, marking the company's first
plug-in hybrid offering in the country. It the lowest-priced plug-in hybrid SUV available in Japan at the time of launch. BYD noted that the Sealion 6 had been adapted for the Japanese market, with enhanced rear-seat comfort and reduced vibration based on local consumer feedback. It launched as the eBUS-12 in 2017, in a ceremony attended by
Ministry of Environment officials. In April 2018, the eBus-7 model began running on
Jeju Island. In June, the Ministry of Environment began to subsidize the eBUS-12. The bus was also used for the
Daejeon government's pilot intra-city electric bus service that year. In 2023, BYD opened an office in
Seoul. In January 2025, BYD began selling EVs in the South Korean consumer market. In December 2025, BYD overtook
General Motors Korea in terms of unit sales in the South Korean market.
Hong Kong BYD started sales of its passenger electric cars in Hong Kong in September 2022, shortly after it finished developing the right-hand drive Atto 3. On 11 June 2023, three BYD showrooms and a service center in Hong Kong were vandalised. Suspects poured red paint on windows and entrances of the buildings. In one case, a car was rammed into the rolling shutter of the showroom in
New Territories. The incidents were reported to the police, and operations in these premises were halted for a few days. On 23 June 2023, Hong Kong police announced that 13 people were arrested in connection with the incidents. In June 2024, BYD started sales of the Denza brand in Hong Kong by introducing the
D9 EV minivan. It opened its first Denza flagship store in
Kowloon Bay, which is the first presence of the brand outside mainland China.
Southeast Asia Thailand , Thailand In October 2022, BYD began selling passenger electric cars in Thailand through a partnership with local company Rêver Automotive. In 2023, BYD announced plans to construct a new electric vehicle manufacturing plant in the
Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) special zone in
Rayong, Thailand with an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles. Construction of the plant began in March 2023. The facility was officially opened on 4 July 2024, coinciding with the production of BYD's 8,000,000th new energy vehicle. This plant is BYD's first wholly owned facility outside of China. It handles stamping, painting, welding, final assembly, and car component production, and is set to employ 10,000 workers. The company started selling Denza vehicles in Thailand since November 2024. BYD's Thailand plant started exporting the BYD Dolphin to Europe in August 2025, in a bid to avoid import tariffs imposed to electric vehicles manufactured in China.
Indonesia BYD introduced its passenger electric cars in Indonesia in January 2024. According to the Indonesian government, BYD plans to invest US$1.3 billion () to build a manufacturing plant in Indonesia with an annual capacity of 150,000 units. In April 2024, BYD formally announced the location of its Indonesian manufacturing plant, which will be in
Subang, West Java. The plant will be operational in early 2026. BYD plans to produce its 15 millionth new energy vehicle in Indonesia. In December 2024, BYD announced plans to increase its investment in the Subang facility by expanding the manufacturing plant area, increasing the projected workforce to 18,000 workers, and advancing the start of operations from early 2026.
Malaysia BYD entered Malaysia in December 2022 by partnering with local company
Sime Darby Motors as its distributor. In August 2025, BYD announced plans to establish a
completely knocked down (CKD) assembly plant in Tanjong Malim,
Perak, with an investment of approximately RM1.3 billion and an annual production capacity of 50,000 vehicles. The facility was intended to begin operations in the second half of 2026. On 29 September 2025, Malaysia's
Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) issued BYD a temporary manufacturing licence, and the Perak state government subsequently fast-tracked land clearance and construction permits. such as the stipulation that 80% of vehicles assembled at the plant would be required to be exported, and an initial localisation requirement of 40% for components sourced domestically. MITI additionally imposed a minimum domestic sale price of RM100,000 for locally assembled vehicles to preserve market space for national manufacturers
Proton and
Perodua. Construction at the Tanjong Malim site was subsequently halted, with the site reported to be inactive. As of May 2026, negotiations between BYD and the Malaysian government remained ongoing, and no formal decision to cancel or proceed with the project had been announced. From 2019, the company expanded into the passenger car segment, partnering with Vantage Automotive Limited (VAL) as its authorised passenger car distributor, while commercial vehicle distribution was handled separately by
ST Engineering and
Inchcape. BYD's passenger car sales grew substantially from 2022 onwards. In 2023, BYD registered 1,416 units in Singapore, entering the top 10 best-selling car brands for the first time. In 2024, registrations rose to 6,191 units through authorised dealers, giving BYD a 14.4% market share and displacing long-time market leader Toyota. For the full year 2025, BYD registered 11,184 units in Singapore, representing 21.2% of all new car registrations, retaining its position as the top-selling brand in the country for the second consecutive year.
Philippines , Philippines In the Philippines, BYD partnered with
Ayala Corporation to distribute BYD passenger electric cars in the country since August 2023.
India BYD entered the Indian automotive sector in 2016 as a battery and bus chassis supplier to Olectra Greenwich Ltd. Its manufacturing operations are based in the
Sriperumbudur plant, Tamil Nadu. BYD started assembling electric passenger vehicles through a
semi-knock down arrangement in low volume in 2022. The models assembled are the fleet-oriented
e6 since September 2022 and the Atto 3 since November 2022.
Bangladesh BYD entered the Bangladeshi market in partnership with
CG Runners by debuting their BYD Seal in March 2024. Since then, they've been launching more car models such as the
Atto 3. In March 2026,
Runners Automobile PLC, in a disclosure to the
Dhaka Stock Exchange, revealed that the company signed a deal with BYD to manufacture BYD EVs in Bangladesh at
Bhaluka,
Mymensingh District.
Pakistan BYD entered the Pakistani automotive market in August 2024 with the launch of the Atto 3, Seal, and Sealion 6 models. In addition, BYD has announced plans to establish a car production plant in
Port Qasim,
Karachi under a joint venture with Mega Motors, a subsidiary of
Hub Power Company, Pakistan's largest independent power producer. The facility is projected to be completed in the first half of 2026.
Uzbekistan BYD entered Uzbekistan in March 2023 by introducing two plug-in hybrid models and one battery electric model. The company established a joint venture with the local company Uzavtosanoat JSC (
UzAuto) to assemble plug-in hybrid cars starting in 2024. The plant is located in
Jizzakh. The first vehicle produced by the facility, a
BYD Song Plus DM-i, rolled off the assembly line on 27 June 2024.
Europe Summit 2023,
Munich, Germany In May 2020, BYD Auto announced that it would offer passenger vehicles in Europe, starting with
Norway. The company chose Norway due to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles in the country. The first product offered there is the
BYD Tang. Previous BYD vehicles offered in Europe are mainly commercial vehicles and fleet-oriented vehicles such as the
BYD e6, sold in low volumes. In 2022, BYD Auto began selling its passenger vehicles in more European countries, such as
Denmark,
Sweden, the
Netherlands,
Germany,
France, and
Belgium. In Germany and
Sweden, the BYD models are sold in cooperation with the Hedin Group. In October 2022, BYD appointed Denzel Group as its distributor in
Austria. In June 2024, BYD began selling three BEV passenger car models in
Poland. BYD built its first European passenger car factory in
Szeged, Hungary, which will build new energy vehicles with an annual capacity of over 100,000 vehicles in 2026. The plan was first announced in December 2023. It is the first Chinese manufacturer to plan a European factory. In September 2023, the
European Commission announced
EU would launch an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, including BYD. European Commission president
Ursula von der Leyen claimed that Chinese electric vehicle prices are kept artificially low by significant state subsidies, that would in effect distort the EU market. BYD Europe managing director, Michael Shu, argued that BYD's competitive price was achieved by higher "management efficiency" and "unique technology" instead of subsidies from the Chinese government. In June 2024, the European Commission completed its investigation, and imposed an additional 17.4%
import duty on top of the existing 15% on BYD vehicles imported into the
European Union, effective 4 July 2024. BYD vehicles generate significantly higher profitability in Europe than in China, driven by their higher pricing in the European market. Research by the Rhodium Group shows that BYD sells their vehicles in Europe with a 92–112% markup compared to its price in China. As the result, BYD makes approximately €14,300 in profit on each
Seal U EV model sold in the EU, which is an 11-fold increase compared to the €1,300 profit on the same model sold in China.
Reuters noted that the BYD Atto 3 is priced at US$19,283 in China and US$42,789 in Germany. Despite the higher price in Germany, it remains competitive with similar electric vehicles there. The price difference can be attributed to the more competitive market conditions in China, while in Europe, BYD is able to position its vehicles at a higher price point. This indicates that despite the tariffs imposed by the EU, BYD is likely able to continue create profit in Europe. In April 2025, BYD's EV sales in Europe surpassed that of Tesla, which was the leading seller on the European EV market for several years.
Turkey BYD announced plans to invest $1 billion in a factory in Turkey, which is part of a customs union with the EU. The factory will have an annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles. An agreement between BYD CEO Wang Chuanfu and Turkey's
Industry and Technology Minister
Mehmet Fatih Kacır was signed on 8 July 2024.
North America United States in 2015 BYD's North American headquarters were opened in
Los Angeles in 2011. The electric bus plant in
Lancaster, California became operational in 2014. BYD is one of the top electric bus manufacturers in North America, and has been primarily adopted by the metro transit authorities of Los Angeles and San Francisco. Previously the company has presence in the country selling battery electric buses, trucks and taxis. Reports in February 2024 indicated that BYD is planning to build a manufacturing plant in Mexico. According to Stella Li, the company is not considering any northern state as it targets the local market instead of the US market. The company showcased the first
right-hand drive Atto 3 in August 2022. Its entry into the Australian market was delayed by a month to November 2022 due to compliance issues with the Atto 3, due to the top tether
child restraint anchor point in the center rear seating position not being in compliance with the
Australian Design Rules. Despite the delay, the Atto 3 became the second-best-selling electric vehicle in Australia in 2022, behind only the
Tesla Model 3. In 2023, BYD introduced two more models (the Dolphin and the Seal) in Australia, and by the end of the year has sold 12,438 vehicles, making it the second-largest electric vehicle brand in the country. In 2024, the brand introduced two plug-in hybrid vehicles in the country, starting with the Sealion 6 in May, and the
Shark 6 in October. In May 2025, BYD announced that it will assume direct control of its operations in Australia beginning July 2025, ending EVDirect's role as the brand's local distributor. EVDirect will retain involvement with BYD through a minority shareholding in EVDealer Group, a retail joint venture with Eagers Automotive. The arrangement maintains the current retail and service network, and enables Eagers Automotive to expand BYD's retail presence in Australia.
Central and South America BYD planned to deliver 1,002 electric buses to
Bogotá, the capital city of
Colombia, by mid-2022, after winning a contract for 406 electric buses in January 2021. In 2022, BYD began selling passenger vehicles in Colombia and Costa Rica. BYD began operations in El Salvador in September 2024 through a partnership with Energy Motors, launching its first showroom in San Salvador at Centro Comercial Galerías. The company introduced a lineup of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, with plans to expand to San Miguel and Santa Ana in 2025.
Brazil , BYD chairman
Wang Chuanfu, and BYD vice president
Stella Li, October 2025 In February 2022, BYD Auto began sales of passenger vehicles in Brazil starting with the Tang EV (marketed as the Tan), followed by the Han EV in April 2022. Previously, BYD in Brazil had marketed battery electric buses and commercial vehicles. In July 2023, BYD announced an investment of US$600 million in Brazil to acquire, modernise, and increase the production capacity of a former
Ford manufacturing plant in
Camaçari, Bahia, to build up to 300,000 cars per year by 2025. The plant will produce the Dolphin, Yuan Plus, and Song Plus DM-i. The construction of this factory was however stopped before Christmas 2024 as the Brazilian Ministry of Work accused the construction company to flout labour laws and hold their workers in "slavery-like conditions". BYD also plans to build two industrial plants: one for the production of electric bus/truck platforms and another for refining
lithium and
iron phosphate ores for use in BYD's battery factories in China. In June 2024, BYD announced its goal to sell 350,000 vehicles annually in Brazil by 2028 and to become one of the top 3 car brands in the country. ==Products==