Chinese carmaker BYD $1211 (+2,12 %) is aiming to produce and source 50% of its vehicle components locally at its new Brazilian plant by the end of 2026, the company's top executive in Brazil told Reuters, amid concerns that the EV giant could undercut the local industry.

Senior Vice President Alexandre Baldy said in an interview at the plant in the state of Bahia this week that BYD is moving to a local supply chain as quickly as possible, with the goal of becoming Brazil's leading automaker in terms of sales volume by 2030.

BYD's target date for 50% local components in its Brazilian-made cars is January 1, 2027, he said. This includes both in-house production and components from local suppliers, such as tires.

"We got here very quickly - and we need to maintain this pace to reach our target," Baldy said at the Camacari plant, where electric and hybrid vehicles are produced for Brazil, BYD's largest market outside China.

Since October, BYD has been operating at the industrial complex, which occupies more than 4 million square meters and was left behind by Ford Motor Co. $F (-0,59 %) when the company ceased production in Brazil.

Camacari, an industrial center outside the state capital Salvador, renamed a nearby avenue from Henry Ford to BYD.

》FROM IMPORTS TO EXPORTS《

The increasing proportion of local components will meet regulatory requirements and allow the carmaker, which has flooded the regional market with Chinese electric vehicles in recent years, to start exporting from its Brazilian plant to neighboring countries in the Mercosur trading bloc this year, Baldy said.

While local industry and labor groups complain that BYD relies heavily on imports and temporarily low tariffs, Baldy said the automaker is forging ahead with local production lines that will eventually create 20,000 jobs in Brazil.

The Camacari plant currently assembles vehicles from imported "semi-knocked-down" (SKD) kits, benefiting from an import tax exemption that has just expired.

BYD will apply for an additional quota to extend the exemption until the middle of this year, Baldy said. However, he emphasized that the SKD approach is "a transitional arrangement", adding: "Cars need to be made with local components to be economically and financially viable."

BYD's local stamping, welding and painting facilities are nearing completion, Baldy said. This ongoing expansion is part of BYD's first phase of investment in Brazil, totaling 5.5 billion reais ($1.1 billion), which aims to increase the plant's capacity from an estimated 150,000 vehicles to 300,000 vehicles per year by the end of 2026.

》LABOR DISPUTE SETTLED《

The Camacari complex already employs around 5,000 people, including around 2,300 BYD employees and 2,500 employees from construction companies and service providers.

Adson Santana, BYD's assembly manager at the plant, said he became emotional when he returned to the place where he had previously worked for Ford before the American car company closed in 2021 and thousands of workers were laid off.

BYD's arrival in Bahia last year was marred by a labor investigation related to the construction of its plant. Late last year, prosecutors announced that BYD and its contractors had settled the case and agreed to pay 40 million reais in damages.

Baldy said the compliance agreement was only signed by the contractors and not BYD.

For the full year 2025, CATL and BYD dominated $3750 (+0 %) and BYD $1211 (+2,12 %) continue to dominate the global electric vehicle (EV) battery market with a combined market share of over 55%.

Global EV battery installations reached 1,187 GWh in 2025, up 31.7% from 901.4 GWh in the same period last year, according to data released by South Korean market research firm SNE Research on Wednesday.

CATL's EV battery installations totaled 464.7 GWh in 2025, up 35.7% from 342.5 GWh in the same period in 2024.

The Chinese battery giant maintained its position as the world's leading supplier in 2025 with a market share of 39.2%, remaining the only battery manufacturer worldwide with a market share of over 30%.

This exceeds its share of 38.0% in 2024 and also its share of 38.2% for January to November 2025.

BYD's EV battery installations reached 194.8 GWh in 2025, an increase of 27.7% compared to 152.6 GWh in the same period in 2024.

The company ranked second in 2025 with a share of 16.4%, down from 16.9% in 2024 and also below its share of 16.7% for January to November 2025.

The battery installations of LG Energy Solution $373220 reached 108.8 GWh in 2025, an increase of 11.3% compared to the previous year.

The South Korean company retained its third place in 2025 with a market share of 9.2%, down from 10.9% in the same period in 2024 and also below its share of 9.3% from January to November 2025.

The Chinese company CALB $3931 took fourth place with 62.8 GWh of installed capacity and a market share of 5.3 %.

The Chinese company Gotion High-tech US38349T1060

was in fifth place with a market share of 4.5%, while the South Korean company SK On KR7096770003 took sixth place with a market share of 3.7 %.

The Japanese company Panasonic $6752 (+9,26 %)the Chinese company Eve Energy US29970N1046the South Korean company Samsung SDI $0L2T (-0,74 %) and the Chinese company Svolt Energy US29268X1037 ranked seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth with market shares of 3.7 %, 2.6 %, 2.4 % and 2.4 % respectively in 2025.

It is worth noting that Svolt Energy took ninth place in the period from January to November with a share of 2.6%, putting it ahead of Samsung SDI.

German electric cars with a charging capacity of over 850 kW will be launched this year, but the Chinese are already one step ahead.

Charging at megawatt speed was launched last year and will come to Europe in 2026. BYD has now $1211 (+2,12 %) is also preparing the next generation.

This radical change shows that charging at tank speed is no longer a utopia, but could become the new standard for electromobility in the coming years. New solutions from BYD have now emerged in China ahead of the presentation, with a power rating of 1,500 amps and a peak power of 1,360 kW.

400 kilometers in less than 5 minutes

According to reports from China, BYD appears to have already set up test stations, which also have a new design and differ from the previous megawatt stations. The charging stations have a T-shaped double-gun design (cover picture) with a footprint of 1.5 square meters and use liquid-cooled cables weighing 2 kg.

A new sedan from BYD is coming that may offer this charging performance:

The capacity of the integrated energy storage system has been doubled compared to the first generation, enabling the consecutive charging of more than 20 vehicles.

It should be clear that the maximum power is not drawn solely or directly from the grid.

It is now almost exactly a year since BYD presented its new megawatt platform and now this second generation with even more power is probably already on the horizon. Development has picked up breathtaking speed.

According to a recent study by the major Swiss bank UBS, there have been positive developments for Chinese exports of electric vehicles (EV) across countries in recent weeks.

These positive developments include Canada granting a most-favored-nation tariff of 6.1 percent for 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles instead of an additional tax of 100 percent per year.

There are also reports that China and the European Union (EU) are close to an agreement on a minimum selling price that could eliminate the anti-subsidy tariffs of 17 to 35 percent on Chinese car imports.

UBS believes that China's measures to reduce and eliminate VAT refunds on batteries and photovoltaic modules have encouraged these agreements.

Paul Gong, head of China automotive research at UBS, noted that the agreement between China and the EU will benefit Chinese automakers if it further improves the export tariff environment.

$1211 (+2,12 %)
$175 (+0,67 %)

For days, the Argentinean media shared in the excitement. And described the impressive dimensions of the freighter: There is space for up to 7000 vehicles on the "BYD Changzhou". The huge ship with a white hull is adorned with the three red letters of the BYD brand name visible from afar. When the giant freighter from China, specially designed to transport Chinese vehicles, finally docks at the port of Zárate in the province of Buenos Aires, the BYD $1211 (+2,12 %) brand has finally arrived in Argentina.

News programs, newspapers and portals report in detail. The event also has great significance for German and European car manufacturers: the strong competition from Asia has now also launched a major attack on the vehicle market in South America.

The arrival of the BYD freighter, which was accompanied by media coverage, coincided almost simultaneously with the failure of the long-negotiated EU-Mercosur free trade agreement in the EU Parliament. Far-left and far-right MEPs, together with the Greens and parliamentarians mainly from France, had voted in favor of sending the agreement, which the industry had been longing for, to the European Court of Justice for review.

Although the agreement is to enter into force for the time being, it is legally in a gray area. However, the EU Parliament's signal to the markets was more devastating, as extreme political forces now appear to be able to steer Europe's economic policy destiny. The MEPs thus gave the competition from China an unexpected gift.

"Europe is weakening itself with the EU Parliament's decision at a time when geopolitical stability and reliable international partnerships are more urgent than ever. Instead of creating clarity for free trade and a rules-based world order, the Parliament is sending a signal of uncertainty and self-blockade," says Hildegard Müller, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA).

"The EU must not sabotage its own trade objectives and recklessly jeopardize its credibility as a partner. The benefits of the agreement are clear."

What a start to the new year - everything from high spirits to geopolitical tensions to a historic correction - and it seems to be continuing just as turbulently as it began...

...but despite the events and the fact that there were only 2 small additional purchases last month, these circumstances don't really seem to bother my portfolio and so a new ATH was reached on the penultimate trading day and closed just below it on the last day.

I am quite satisfied with the 4.70% achieved under the circumstances and it shows me that my selection (.oO dividends do not hurt) is not so bad at all in order not to get under water even in such waters.

In the long term, my strategy continues to pay off positively and there is no reason for me to really change anything here...

...except that this year there will be a little more focus on growth in addition to dividends.

Which brings us directly to the next topic...

...after a good +3804.58% dividend growth in 2024, it was another +148.57% last year and, with the +40.37% forecast so far this year, should easily be enough to achieve my basic target of €2000 net dividend.

In my view, the overall rate of return is also suitable for the time being and will of course change somewhat over the course of the year...

...it is also fitting that January is a somewhat weaker dividend month, but still tastes good with a net dividend of € 104.16.

》Single stocks top 3《

$HAUTO (-2,8 %) +11,28% (+35,55%)

$RIO (-5,94 %) +10,28% (+41,03%)

$VAR (-0,56 %) +9,50% (+10,20%)

》 Individual stocks Flop 3《

$YYYY (-2,77 %) -7,96% (-4,27%)

$3750 (+0 %) -2,58% (+46,54%)

$VICI (-0,06 %) -0,84% (+17,41%)

》Additions/departures 《

none

》Increased《

$VICI (-0,06 %) (10x)

$1211 (+2,12 %) (10x)

Apart from that, there were 2 other pieces of positive news in my private life...firstly, the next check-up is still without findings and secondly, I now have confirmation from the pension provider that I can continue my further training as an accounting specialist (IHK) this year, which was interrupted by the operation. What's more, this will now be taken a little further and I'll also be taking the certification in DATEV and DATEV payroll accounting at the same time...can't hurt 🤫👍🏻

And so I wish us all continued good luck, a nice rest of the Sunday and maximum profits ✌🏻

BYD $1211 (+2,12 %) started test production at its first European plant in Hungary on Thursday after the completion of the passenger car factory was delayed.

By producing fully electric vehicles in Europe, the car manufacturer can avoid the tariffs on imported electric vehicles introduced by the European Commission in October 2024.

Production is scheduled to start in the second quarter.

This was announced on Thursday by László Botka, Mayor of Szeged, where the plant is located.

Botka said that the company has hired 960 employees at its plant in Szeged, 70% of whom are Hungarian and most of whom are from Szeged.

In addition, BYD has signed a cooperation agreement with the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Szeged.

Production at the plant will be ramped up to the planned capacity of 200,000 vehicles over several years, with the number of jobs increasing in parallel.

》Factory in Szeged《

Almost a year ago, the European Union launched an investigation into whether China had illegally supported the construction of the BYD plant in Szeged.

The mayor of Szeged, László Botka, rejected the investigation and wrote that the European Commission was merely following EU law and that the investment complied with these regulations.

"Several EU countries wanted to secure the world's largest environmentally friendly electric car factory. The agreement between Szeged, Hungary and BYD complies with all EU regulations," explained Bokta.

The mayor added that the agreement had been negotiated for over a year, "and this was one of the most important aspects. The factory is currently under construction and will create many thousands of well-paid jobs. The economy of Szeged will also experience a new boom."

The Municipality of Szeged provided 300 hectares of land for the factory, of which 100 hectares were already designated as an industrial area, while the remaining 200 hectares were agricultural land shared by several owners.

Most of the landowners accepted the price set by the government authority in the expropriation procedure, but some challenged it in court.

The legal disputes have now been settled, as the court ruled that the purchase prices had been set incorrectly and were higher than permitted.

As a result, the landowners concerned must pay back the difference. Botka said he would propose to the City Council to waive this claim as part of Szeged's 2026 budget.

It remains unclear whether these court cases have contributed to the delay in operations.

Delay in production

The company originally aimed to beat the three-year schedule set when the plant was announced at the end of 2023 and start operations as early as 2025, but the schedule was later pushed back to the first half of this year.

After a Reuters report in June suggested that the launch would be delayed, BYD denied these claims and stated that production would still start on schedule before the end of 2025.

The report cited strategic decisions and internal company planning as the reason for the delay, adding that BYD was prioritizing its plant in Turkey.

However, the Hungarian authorities have publicly denied these claims.

Stella Li, Executive Vice President of BYD, later confirmed that production is now scheduled for the second quarter of 2026 and construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

On Thursday, the mayor of Szeged stated that it was not yet known "exactly" when the official opening of the plant would take place.

Gergely Gulyás, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, said that production would start in the spring.

Shanghai-based Boonray Technology, a provider of electric autonomous mining truck solutions, announced on Thursday that it has secured a strategic investment of RMB 100 million (US$14.4 million) from BYD $1211 (+2,12 %) has secured.

The investment is a sign that BYD, the global leader in new energy vehicle (NEV) and battery technology, recognizes Boonray's technological capabilities and business model in mining truck electrification and smart solutions, the company said.

The investment will primarily be used to strengthen research and development efforts, accelerate expansion in the domestic and international markets and deepen industrial cooperation, Boonray said.

The two parties are expected to engage in in-depth cooperation in areas such as technology research and development, supply chain optimization and product research for specific scenarios to promote the application of new energy and intelligent technologies in heavy industry, it added.

Boonray's technological systems in the field of unmanned mining and green energy supply are impressive as their solutions address the operational challenges in traditional mining, said Li Qian, BYD's board secretary and chief investment officer.

BYD will work with Boonray to provide more competitive Chinese solutions for the green transformation of global mining and heavy industry, Li said.

Boonray was founded in 2015 and focuses on the research and development of autonomous driving technology for the mining industry.

According to Boonray, the company's solutions enable Level 4 autonomous operation for mining trucks, with vehicles supporting unmanned battery swapping.

According to the company, it completed over 30 mining projects with different types of soil and complex operating conditions earlier this month.

The investment comes at a time when China's heavy-duty truck industry is undergoing rapid electrification.

In December, domestic sales of new energy heavy-duty trucks reached a record 45,300 units, accounting for 53.89% of total heavy-duty truck sales of 84,000 units, according to data from CV World, a website specializing in the commercial vehicle market.

This means that the market penetration of new energy heavy-duty trucks in China has exceeded 50% for the first time, although this may be short-lived due to the expiry of economic stimulus measures that have led to demand being brought forward.

In view of the increasing demand in India, BYD is $1211 (+2,12 %) is rethinking its strategy there. The Chinese manufacturer is considering increased localization of production, almost two years after the country rejected its proposal for a new USD 1 billion plant in India.

》BYD reviews establishment of SKD production in India《

BYD currently offers four models in India, two of which - the Seal and the Sealion 7 - are imported. This is part of the GSR 870 (E) scheme, which allows companies to bypass local homologation for up to 2,500 completely assembled vehicles (CBU) or completely knocked down (CKD) vehicles per year. According to a report by Bloomberg, demand for the CBU models is approaching its capacity limit, prompting the company to consider expanding local assembly capacity.

Last year, BYD used 788 percent of its import quota for the Sealion alone, with around 2,200 units being registered. Supply bottlenecks are extending delivery times and leading to a backlog of orders of several hundred units at dealers. In addition to limited availability, the high price is also slowing the growth of such models. The Sealion 7, for example, is subject to an import duty of 70 percent and costs 4.94 million rupees or 5.49 million rupees (approx. 45,000 to 50,000 euros), depending on the variant.

BYD is therefore considering importing kits (SKD) instead of complete vehicles and assembling them locally, as reported by the Bloomberg news agency. SKD production is less capital intensive and regulatory approvals are easier to obtain than a complete assembly plant, which BYD had originally planned to build in 2023 in partnership with Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL), the parent company of electric bus manufacturer Olectra Greentech.

The switch from CBU to SKD would reduce tariffs on the vehicles from 70 to 30 percent, allowing BYD to offer its models more competitively. The company already assembles the other two models in its range, the Atto 3 and the eMax 7, from CKD kits at a plant in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. BYD has already initiated the processes to obtain safety and approval certifications to localize more models.

BYD has a network of 47 showrooms in 40 cities in India and sold around 5,500 vehicles in the country last year, an increase of around 88 percent compared to the previous year. Last summer, BYD also recorded a cumulative 10,000 deliveries in India since entering the market.

In view of increasing competition and reduced subsidies on the domestic market, the Chinese car manufacturer is increasingly focusing on foreign business. Last year, BYD sold around 1.05 million vehicles internationally and is aiming to increase this figure by almost 24 percent to 1.3 million units this year.