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 (-3,09%) 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 (+2,28%) +11,28% (+35,55%)

$RIO (+3,14%) +10,28% (+41,03%)

$VAR (-3,24%) +9,50% (+10,20%)

》 Individual stocks Flop 3《

$YYYY (-2,07%) -7,96% (-4,27%)

$3750 (-1,51%) -2,58% (+46,54%)

$VICI (-0,15%) -0,84% (+17,41%)

》Additions/departures 《

none

》Increased《

$VICI (-0,15%) (10x)

$1211 (-3,09%) (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 (-3,09%) 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 (-3,09%) 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 (-3,09%) 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.

Vietnamese car manufacturer Kim Long Motor announced that it is joining forces with Chinese company BYD $1211 (-3,09%) to build a 130 million dollar factory to produce batteries for commercial electric vehicles in central Vietnam.

Under the agreement, Kim Long Motor will finance the construction of the plant, while BYD will provide comprehensive technical and technological support, the company said in a statement.

The plant will be built on 4.4 hectares of land and will have a capacity of 3 gigawatt hours per year, Kim Long Motor said in a statement.

The company said operations are expected to start soon, but did not give an exact timeline.

In the second phase, the plant will be expanded to 10 hectares and its production capacity will be doubled to 6 GWh per year. The expansion will also include the production of batteries for electric cars.

The plant will produce batteries for commercial vehicles such as buses, trucks and minibuses.

The Vietnamese market for electric vehicles is growing rapidly, led by domestic car manufacturer VinFast, which dominates the sector.

VinFast recently entered the commercial vehicle segment with the launch of its EC Van electric delivery van, which is designed for sustainable urban freight transportation.

The Chinese company BYD $1211 (-3,09%) and the US oil company Exxon Mobil $XOM (+3,52%) will deepen their partnership in the field of hybrid technology, as the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer announced in a press release.

Under a long-term strategic memorandum of understanding signed on Monday, the two companies will jointly explore the development of customized products, cooperation in new material applications and other fields, according to the statement.

Last year, BYD launched a motor oil specially developed for plug-in electric vehicles together with Exxon Mobil.