Chinese automaker BYD plans to buy a part of Ford's factory in Camaçari, Bahia, to have a national electric car production plant
Next to Great Wall Engine (GWM), BYD is another Chinese automaker that is not playing around with the national electromobility market. The multinational began its activities in the automobile sector with imported products, such as the seven-seat Tan SUV and the Han sedan, which have already arrived in the country. The medium Qin and Song, hybrids, will arrive in the country in the second half of the year, together with the DI, a compact electric car that will focus on fleets. This time, the Chinese is planning to acquire part of the Ford factory in Camaçari, Bahia, to expand the production of its electric vehicles and generate thousands of new jobs.
BYD wants Ford factory in Bahia
Although it already has two factories in Brazil, one for photovoltaic solar panels in the Zona Franca de Manaus (AM) and another for electric bus chassis in Campinas (SP), BYD is now seeking to acquire at least part of the former factory of Ford in Camaçari, in Bahia, where he could assemble his electric and hybrid passenger cars. It is important to point out that, recently, the company became the third most valued automotive manufacturer in the world.
Last week, the governor of Bahia, Rui Costa, visiting the Research and Development Center that Ford kept open in the interior of Bahia, commented that he hopes, soon, to be able to develop a large advertisement for a new industry for the production of electric cars in Bahia.
Costa claims that negotiations are very advanced with investors, who see the factory as a great geographical advantage, due to the very close port, and with an extraordinary resident technical capacity, which were the trained technicians who worked in the production of Ford vehicles.
Although the state governor has not disclosed the names of the investors, local sources guarantee that it is BYD, which already has a R$ 1,5 billion contract with the government of Bahia for the construction and operation of a network of monorails that will circulate in Salvador and in the municipality of Simões Filho, generating hundreds of new jobs.
BYD plans in Brazil include electrification and job creation
According to data, the biggest impasse in negotiating with the Ford factory is the fact that the legislation that provides tax incentives for automakers that are installed in the Northeast or Midwest of Brazil, as is the case of Stellantis in Goiana (EP) and the Chaoa Chery in Anápolis (GO), no longer applies to new entrants, such as BYD.
Thus, the conversations would involve regional incentive bodies, such as the Northeast Development Superintendence (Sudene), the Bahia State Development Agency (DesenBahia), and even a participation of the State in offering benefits and tax subsidies.
BYD's aim would be to acquire just a part of Ford's factory, where it would assemble its electric cars on a smaller scale, in CKD and SKD formats. Before, the Chinese company even considered buying another deactivated Ford factory, in São Bernardo do Campo (SP), but withdrew from the purchase.
Get to know BYD
As renewable energy will become the biggest source of electricity for cities around the world in the future, making it possible for urban ecosystems to operate more fluidly.
As such, BYD plans to build a sustainable future powered by clean energy, where cities and nature live peacefully and where pure, clean air is guaranteed.
As a pioneer of clean energy solutions, the multinational is committed to providing a zero-emissions ecosystem and seeks to build a sustainable future with electricity.
