Portuguese 
Spanish 
6 min of reading 
0 comments 
The story of Magda Hungria combines pioneering, family routine, and challenges of a profession still marked by male presence, amidst the operation of BYD in Camaçari and the expansion of electrified vehicles in the country.
Magda Hungria, 39 years old, is highlighted by the Portal A TARDE as the first woman to drive an electric truck of BYD in Brazil.
The driver’s journey was the subject of a report published on March 8, 2026, after a visit to the automaker’s factory in Camaçari, in the Metropolitan Region of Salvador.
Married and mother of three children, two boys and a girl, Magda works in an area predominantly male.
-
The True Story of Beavers Parachuted into Idaho: A Post-WWII Mission Using Planes and Special Crates to Relocate 76 Animals to a Remote U.S. Region
-
6-Year-Old Boy Finds 1,000-Year-Old Viking Sword During School Activity in Norway
-
Mother Who Orchestrated Her Daughter’s Genius Education Enters History After Crime That Still Mystifies Spain
-
Brazil to Allocate 3% of Affordable Housing Program in 38 Cities for Homeless, Paving Way for First Property Transfers to Formerly Unhoused Residents
In the sector where she works in the company, composed of 12 professionals, she is one of the two women performing the role, according to the report.
The driver operates a 100% electric tractor in BYD’s operation in Camaçari.
In material released by the Bahia Economic Development Secretariat, with information from the company, Magda is presented as an employee stationed at the final assembly plant for electric and hybrid vehicles.
Magda Hungria started driving at a young age
Magda’s relationship with driving began before entering professional transportation.
According to her account to A TARDE, the driver learned to drive at a young age and obtained her license at 18.
At 23, she started working as a bus driver.
“I started driving at 18. Actually, a little before, but I got my license at 18. And then, at 23, I went to drive buses,” said Magda.
Her experience with large vehicles expanded in the following years, until entering cargo transportation.
Before working with BYD’s electric truck, Magda drove urban buses in Camaçari, worked in charter companies, and also did interstate lines.
In one of these companies, according to the report, she became the first woman to drive buses on interstate routes.
Later, she started driving trucks, an activity she has been doing for about ten years.
“It was a dream I had since childhood. And I went after it. I worked with urban buses, charter, interstate and then I went to the truck,” she stated.
Family support accompanies career in transportation
The profession of driver is also present in Magda’s family.
Her husband and brother have been working as truck drivers for about two decades and, according to her, they supported her decision to pursue passenger and freight transportation.
“My husband supports me a lot, encourages me. My brother is also a truck driver. Both encourage me a lot,” she reported.
In her routine with the children, Magda says she counts on the support of her mother, husband, and other family members.
Family organization appears in her account as part of balancing work, motherhood, and household chores.
“Being a mother, being a driver, being a housewife, being a wife, all of this requires a lot of care, a lot of time. But I love everything I do,” she said.
Her 10-year-old daughter is also mentioned by Magda as one of the people who closely follow her work.
According to the driver, the girl has already shown interest in pursuing the same profession.
“She says: ‘Mom, I want to drive just like you’. That fills me with pride,” she shared.
BYD’s electric truck changes professional routine
The entry into BYD’s operation added to Magda’s career the driving of a 100% electric heavy vehicle.
After working with buses, trucks, and conventional trailers, she began operating a model used in the structure of the automaker in Camaçari.
In a publication by SDE Bahia, Magda compared the electric truck with traditional vehicles she had already driven.
“I have driven other trucks and trailers, but the electric ones are better. Quieter, very comfortable, great autonomy, and safe,” she declared.
BYD’s factory in Camaçari is part of the Chinese automaker’s industrial presence in Brazil.
According to SDE Bahia, the complex occupies an area of 4.65 million square meters and is the largest of the company outside China.
The unit has an initial production capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year, with a goal of reaching up to 600,000 vehicles annually when the project is complete.
The same material states that, at the Bahia unit, electrified models of the brand are produced, such as BYD Dolphin Mini, BYD King, and BYD Song Pro.
The investment in the Camaçari complex is estimated at R$ 5.5 billion, with a forecast of 20,000 direct and indirect jobs, according to the secretariat.
Prejudice on the road appears in driver’s accounts
Although she has accumulated experience in different areas of transportation, Magda states that she has faced difficulties related to the presence of women on the road.
The reports include infrastructure problems during trips and comments about the fact that a woman is working as a heavy vehicle driver.
“Not everything is rosy. I have faced difficulties on the road, with bathrooms, with accommodations, and also with some jokes. But we keep showing that a woman’s place is wherever she wants,” she declared to A TARDE.
The driver also mentioned an episode where she heard from a colleague that a woman’s place would be in the kitchen.
According to Magda, the response was given through her continued work.
“I showed that a woman’s place is wherever she wants. It doesn’t matter what she’s doing. The important thing is to do what you love.”
In another testimony released by SDE Bahia, she reported questions about her ability to drive because she is a woman.
“I always heard it was a man’s thing. People asked me how I would drive being a woman, and here I am proving that competence has no gender,” she stated.
Female presence in BYD’s operation in Camaçari
Magda’s story was published in March, a month when companies and public agencies usually release content related to International Women’s Day.
In the case of BYD in Camaçari, SDE Bahia gathered stories from female employees working in different areas of the operation, including production, logistics, translation, and management.
In the official publication, the company mentions women in technical and administrative roles in the Bahian industrial complex.
Among the names mentioned are Magda de Hungria, in the operation with an electric trailer; Jéssica Siqueira, production leader in the chassis area; and Séuzia Bila, translator at the final assembly plant.
Magda’s case also concluded the series “8 de Março, 8 Mulheres, 8 Histórias” by Portal A TARDE.
The series presented the journeys of women in professions where, according to the publication itself, male presence is still predominant.
Besides Magda, the series featured stories such as those of Letícia Sacramento, intercity bus driver; Elizabeth da França Lopes, train operator; Madalena Paixão Costa, hydraulic assistant; Érica Soledade Mercês de Oliveira, forklift operator; Tiele Medrado, road operator; Emilly Luiza dos Santos Dias, automotive electrician; and Maria Marli dos Santos Oliveira, mason.
In her account to A TARDE, Magda stated that other women should not let fear prevent professional choices.
“Face your fears. We cannot let fear take over us. We have been showing day after day that our place is wherever we want to be,” she said.
The driver also expressed hope that women’s professional capabilities will be recognized in different areas.
“I wish society would see us with more value, more respect, and more credibility. Many times they think we are not capable, but we are capable of anything,” she declared.
Be the first to react!