BYD is no longer content to control the production of its electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and batteries. The Chinese automotive giant is also investing heavily in the logistics required to deliver those vehicles to customers around the world. And if the latest reports from China are accurate, its maritime ambitions are about to become considerably larger.

According to reports published by maritime outlets including New Ships and Robin Assasfina, BYD has reportedly ordered ten additional car-carrying vessels to supplement its existing fleet of eight. If the plan proceeds as expected, the company could operate 18 Ro-Ro ships within the next three years, creating one of the most substantial manufacturer-owned vehicle transport fleets in the industry.

The timing is hardly accidental. BYD’s domestic market is becoming increasingly difficult, while its international business is expanding at a much faster rate. Owning the ships that carry its vehicles could give the company greater control over delivery schedules, reduce its reliance on external logistics providers and help it push further into Europe and other key markets.

Ten New Ships Could Add Capacity for 92,000 Vehicles

The reported new vessels are expected to have a capacity of approximately 9,200 vehicles each. In shipping terminology, that is measured in CEU, or Car Equivalent Units—a standard used to describe vehicle-carrying capacity.

Ten ships of that size would add approximately 92,000 CEU to BYD’s fleet. Combined with the eight existing vessels, which reportedly carry between 7,200 and 9,000 vehicles each, the manufacturer’s total single-voyage capacity could reach roughly 150,000 vehicles.

That figure alone is impressive, but the more important number is annual throughput.

BYD’s existing fleet is reported to support exports of around one million vehicles per year. With ten additional ships arriving between 2027 and 2029, the company could potentially increase its global transport capacity to more than 2.2 million vehicles annually, with some estimates placing the eventual figure closer to 2.5 million.

The precise annual capacity will depend on routes, turnaround times, port operations and other logistical factors. Nevertheless, the direction is clear: BYD is building the infrastructure required to export vehicles on a much larger scale.

BYD’s Eight Existing Ships

BYD’s maritime expansion began in January 2024, when the company started adding dedicated vehicle carriers to its fleet. The eight vessels currently associated with the manufacturer are:

• Explorer No.1
• Hefei
• Changzhou
• Shenzhen
• Xi’an
• Changsha
• Zhengzhou
• Jinan

These are Ro-Ro, or roll-on/roll-off, ships. Unlike conventional container shipping, Ro-Ro vessels allow cars to be driven directly onto the ship and secured across multiple decks. That makes them particularly suited to transporting large volumes of finished vehicles.

For BYD, the strategy is about more than simply owning ships. It is about controlling another critical part of the automotive supply chain.

Domestic Sales Are Falling, but Exports Are Rising

BYD’s shipping investment comes at a time of significant change in its business.

According to the figures supplied, the company’s domestic sales in China fell by 43 percent year over year, to approximately 1.15 million vehicles. At the same time, exports surged by 88 percent, reaching around 1.12 million vehicles.

Those figures put domestic sales and overseas deliveries surprisingly close together. They also highlight how important international markets have become to BYD’s growth strategy.

The reported export total represents approximately 35.4 percent of all Chinese vehicle exports, including both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models. Deutsche Bank estimates cited in the supplied material suggest BYD could export between 1.9 million and 2.2 million vehicles in 2026, nearly double the previous year’s figure.

Other industry analysts reportedly believe BYD could exceed 2.5 million exports by 2027.

If those projections are accurate, the company’s shipping fleet is not merely a logistical convenience. It is a strategic necessity.

Why BYD Wants Its Own Ships

The global automotive industry has experienced significant logistics disruption in recent years. Vehicle manufacturers have faced shortages of transport capacity, higher shipping costs and delays caused by geopolitical tensions.

The supplied reports also point to maritime constraints linked to the conflict involving Iran, which have complicated international shipping routes.

By owning its own car carriers, BYD can potentially reduce exposure to those disruptions. It can plan vessel deployment around its production schedules, prioritize strategic markets and reduce dependence on third-party shipping companies.

There is also a commercial advantage. Exporting vehicles can offer higher profit margins than selling them in China, where intense competition and an ongoing price war continue to pressure manufacturers.

That makes the shipping fleet part of a broader strategy: produce the vehicles, build the batteries, develop the charging technology and increasingly control the process of getting the finished cars to customers.

Europe Is the Next Major Battleground

Europe remains one of BYD’s most important international targets. The company has expanded its model range across the continent, offering electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in a growing number of markets.

However, importing vehicles from China comes with additional costs. The supplied text states that BYD-made vehicles imported into Europe currently face an additional 17 percent tariff, although the exact applicable rate can vary by model, production origin and trade classification.

That is why BYD’s planned European production is so significant.

The company is reportedly approaching mass production at its factory in Hungary, which would allow it to manufacture vehicles within the European market and avoid the additional tariff applied to China-made imports.

Local production could also shorten supply chains, improve delivery times and make BYD more competitive against established European, Japanese and Korean manufacturers.

BYD’s Expansion Goes Beyond Electric Cars

Although BYD is best known internationally for its electric vehicles, its business is considerably broader.

The company develops and manufactures its own batteries, including technologies used in its Blade Battery platform. It is also investing in ultra-fast charging infrastructure, an area that could become increasingly important as charging speeds improve and electric vehicle adoption expands.

The addition of a large vehicle-carrier fleet completes another part of that vertically integrated strategy.

BYD is attempting to control more of the journey from raw materials and battery production to vehicle assembly, charging technology and international delivery. Few automakers have pursued that level of integration with such speed.

A New Kind of Automotive Power

The reported order for ten additional Ro-Ro ships illustrates how dramatically BYD’s ambitions have changed.

The company is no longer operating solely as a Chinese automaker exporting vehicles when shipping capacity is available. It is building a dedicated global distribution network designed to support millions of vehicles per year.

If the reported expansion goes ahead, BYD could have 18 car-carrying ships in service by the end of the decade’s early years, with a transport capacity approaching 2.5 million vehicles annually.

That would give the company greater control over its international growth at precisely the moment when its domestic market is becoming more challenging.

For European automakers, the message is straightforward: BYD is not simply bringing more cars to the market. It is building the industrial and logistical infrastructure to keep doing so at a much larger scale.

Source: BYD