BYD Expands Fleet with Launch of Sixth Car Carrier, BYD Xi’an
BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) has recently added another vessel to its fleet of car carriers, continuing its push to expand in international markets. The latest addition, BYD Xi’an, was officially launched on April 2, bringing the total number of BYD car carriers to six.
In addition to BYD Xi’an, the company is also gearing up for the maiden voyage of its largest car ro-ro (roll-on/roll-off) ship, BYD Shenzhen, which has a capacity to carry 9,200 cars. This news was shared by BYD on Weibo, although specific details about BYD Xi’an’s loading capacity were not disclosed.
BYD has a history of naming its car carriers after cities where its vehicle production bases are located, with BYD Xi’an being the fifth vessel to follow this naming convention. Xi’an, the capital city of Shaanxi province, is home to one of BYD’s largest auto production facilities.
The BYD Explorer No. 1 was the first vessel in BYD’s fleet, chartered to the company by another shipowner with a capacity of 7,000 vehicles. Following this, BYD Hefei became the first car carrier owned by BYD, also with a capacity of 7,000 vehicles, and named after the city where one of its production sites is located.
BYD Changzhou and BYD Changsha were subsequently launched, each with a capacity of 7,000 and 9,200 vehicles respectively. The company has been steadily increasing its fleet size in line with its sales growth, which has seen BYD become the world’s largest NEV maker, surpassing Tesla in global passenger BEV sales for two consecutive quarters.
As BYD looks to maintain its growth momentum, the company has set ambitious targets for 2025, aiming to sell 5.5 million vehicles, including more than 800,000 in overseas markets. This represents a significant increase from the 4,272,145 vehicles sold in 2024, with overseas sales targeted to grow by 92 percent compared to the previous year.
With a strong focus on expanding its presence in international markets, BYD is leveraging its fleet of car carriers to facilitate the transportation of its vehicles to customers around the world. The launch of BYD Xi’an and the impending maiden voyage of BYD Shenzhen underscore the company’s commitment to strengthening its global footprint in the automotive industry.
