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It is not yet clear whether Chinese automaker BYD will build a plant in Mexico, but the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer underscored its commitment to the Mexican market by dispatching one of its own car carrier ships to ports in Sinaloa and Michoacán this month.
The BYD Changzhou, a 200-meter-long roll-on/roll-off ship that flies the flag of the West African country Liberia, docked in the ports of Mazatlán and Lázaro Cárdenas this month, delivering a total of 5,503 vehicles.
The BYD CHANGZHOU, the first vessel from BYD, arrived at the Port of Mazatlán, where the unloading of automobiles began. This important operation marks a clear step toward the future of the automotive industry in the country, helping improve port logistics and positioning Mexico… pic.twitter.com/s5wosiBBkI
— Maritimex (@MaritimexMX) June 16, 2025
BYD has been selling cars in Mexico since 2023, but hadn’t previously brought vehicles to the country on one of its own ships.
In a video filmed at the port in Mazatlán, BYD México president Ray Zou said that the arrival of the company’s Changzhou vessel is not only a “milestone” for BYD, “but also shows how important the Mexican market is for BYD globally.”
“… In the future, BYD will continue to provide more reliable and fancy products to the Mexican market,” he said.
The BYD Changzhou, named after the Jiangsu province city where the company has a plant, is one of four BYD vessels that are currently in service. The company announced the delivery of its fifth vehicle carrier on Saturday, according to the state-owned China Daily.
The BYD Changzhou delivered 2,000 vehicles to the port in Mazatlán, where it arrived on June 6, and 3,503 to the port in Lázaro Cárdenas.
Mauricio Ortiz, general director of the Mazatlán Maritime Terminal, said that the arrival of the ship “reinforces the strategic position of Mazatlán in automotive sector logistics chains.”
🚢⚡ Arribo histórico en el Puerto Lázaro Cárdenas: recibimos el buque “BYD CHANGZHOU” con 3,503 vehículos eléctricos.
Consulta la nota completa aquí: https://t.co/JabT0rb6AA#PuertoLázaroCárdenas #BYD #SSA #Ultratug #ASIPONA #MovilidadSostenible pic.twitter.com/E8kHHK97ZB
— PuertoLazaroCardenas (@PtoLazaroCarden) June 13, 2025
Port authorities in Lázaro Cárdenas said that the arrival of BYD’s ship in Mexico represents “not just a logistical milestone, but also the strengthening of the trade relationship with a brand that is transforming the global electric transport panorama.”
BYD México said in a LinkedIn post last week that the company took “a decisive step in its expansion strategy with the arrival of its Changzhou ship to the port of Mazatlán.”
“This event doesn’t just represent a logistical advance but also reaffirms the commitment of the company to strengthen its presence in the entire country and take electric mobility to more regions of Mexico,” BYD said.
The company’s cars currently face a 20% tariff when entering Mexico, but there is a possibility that the duty will increase in the near future. BYD and other Chinese automakers are pursuing an aggressive export strategy and have found a significant number of buyers in Mexico in recent years.
BYD sales in Mexico
BYD sold 40,000 electric and hybrid vehicles in Mexico last year, according to the company. That figure was 10,000 short of the company’s expectation of 50,000, as mentioned by BYD’s general director in Mexico, Jorge Vallejo, last October. The company is aiming to sell 80,000 vehicles in Mexico this year.
Sales of 40,000 units in 2024 made BYD the 13th best-selling car brand in Mexico, according to the newspaper El Financiero. A total of 69,713 electric and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles were sold in Mexico last year, according to the Electro Mobility Association, an increase of over 80% compared to 2023. Thus, BYD was No. 1 for sales in the EV/PHEV segment of the auto market, which accounted for around 5% of total car sales in Mexico in 2024.
BYD has some 50 dealerships in Mexico, and in January, Vallejo outlined plans to open 30 more.
In early 2024, the company confirmed that it intended to open a plant in Mexico, but almost one and a half years later, it is uncertain whether it will in fact do so.
FT: China is withholding approval for BYD’s Mexico plant due to tech concerns
The Financial Times reported in March that the Chinese government was delaying approval for BYD to build a plant in Mexico amid concerns that the company’s smart car technology could be accessed by the United States.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said last November that there was “not yet any firm investment project [in Mexico] from any Chinese automotive company,” including BYD.
In April, she described high demand for foreign-made vehicles in Mexico as a “problem.”
“The problem is that we’re importing a lot of vehicles, particularly from Asia, and this is not anything against any Asian country or anything like that,” Sheinbaum said.
She said that her government is seeking to bolster domestic vehicle production so that the majority of vehicles purchased in Mexico are made in Mexico.
It remains to be seen how that objective will affect BYD’s clear aim of selling more electric vehicles in Mexico and thus increasing its share of the overall market for new cars.
Jorge Guajardo, a former Mexican ambassador to China, asserted earlier this year that allowing Chinese vehicles to continue coming into the country with a tariff of just 20% will “put an end to [automotive] production in Mexico.”
In an interview with Mexico News Daily last year, he asserted that Mexico, where applicable, should raise its tariffs on Chinese imports to match those of the United States.
Reuters reported in April that “China ships very few cars to the United States, which imposed a 100% tariff on imported Chinese electric vehicles under the previous administration of President Joe Biden.”
With reports from Cluster Industrial and T21
