BYD is close to becoming the first automaker to produce electric cars in Brazil. The manufacturer already owns the cheapest electric car in the country and wants to go further.

Chinese manufacturer BYD will be the first automaker to produce electric cars in Brazil. After months of rumors and unconfirmed data, the company confirmed today (06), that it will install a car production line in Bahia. The multinational also announced two other units in the state, one for bus chassis and electric trains, and another for processing lithium and phosphate, two essential components of batteries.

BYD will invest BRL 3 billion in electric cars in Brazil

According to the CEO of BYD Americas, Stella Li, the automaker is bringing its green ecosystem to Bahia and seeks to make the state a center of innovation and high technology. The company's investment will be R$ 3 billion.

The company's plan is for the Camaçari facilities to be the manufacturing hub for Latin America, according to Li. The expectation is to start production in the second half of next year. everything indicates that the multinational will assume a factory in Camaçari that belonged to Ford and has been deactivated since 2021, however there has still been no agreement.

A electric car factory will have the capacity to produce 150 units annually in its first phase. This number could double with future expansions. BYD has already stated that it will manufacture at least one electric car in Brazil.

The estimate is that it will be a lower cost model, as is the case of the Dolphin. According to the announcement made today, hybrid vehicles will also be produced. With the exemptions granted to electric cars in Brazil, the company started selling it for R$ 150 in the imported version. In the first four days, more than 1 units were sold.

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BYD electric car worth R$ 55 thousand should arrive in the country coming soon

BYD already offers three other electric cars in Brazil, and a plug-in hybrid, also imported. No further details were disclosed about the materials plant for the batteries.

The official statement from the multinational only states that lithium and phosphate will be processed to meet the demands of the foreign market. One of the China automaker's plans is to bring to Brazil, as early as 2024, the BYD Seagull, the company's cheapest model, which currently costs the equivalent of R$55.

The multinational BYD, world leader in sales of electric cars, is about to confirm a new production unit in Salvador. The company's first electric model, called the Dolphin, was launched in the country last week. O electric car It is a hatchback that costs R$149 and impresses the market with its included technology, including internet, video games, voice control and even karaoke.

Brazilian electric vehicle market will change completely

The arrival of Chinese companies such as BYD and Great Wall Motors, which will also start producing locally, promises to shake up the electric car market in Brazil and the sector's plans for a transition to low-emission vehicles.

Both established automakers and the government are betting on the technology of traditional flex-fuel hybrid cars. They cannot be supplied with electricity, their battery is small and is only charged when braking or by the combustion engine itself.

There are two main reasons for this gradual transition. The first of these is the mastery of ethanol technology and the extensive distribution network of this biofuel in the country. The other is the cost of batteries. They are the most expensive component of an electric car and have to be imported into Brazil.