BYD said on Sunday that it is raising its 2026 sales target in the Brazilian market, days after official data for February showed that the Chinese automaker led registrations of pure electric vehicles.
The company increased its sales target by 33.7%, and it now expects to deliver 250,000 vehicles in the South American country this year.
The Shenzhen-headquartered carmaker began assembling passenger vehicles in Brazil in July 2025.
The new sales target was shared over the weekend, as BYD opened its new R&D facility — the “Vision Center” — in Santo Amaro, São Paulo.
The company led by Wang Chuanfu invested R$15 million, equivalent to more than $2.8 million.
Additionally, the Chinese giant is planning to open R&D centers in Rio de Janeiro, and in Bahia, where the assembling plant is established.
BYD aims to capture a 10% market share in Brazil’s auto market this year, despite noting that eleven new Chinese automotive brands have either entered or are entering the market in 2026.
Since 2012, the share of the auto industry has more than doubled from 15 brands to 35.
According to industry data released by the Chinese automaker, Asian manufacturers such as BYD and Hyundai have taken market share from established American companies GM and Ford, as well as from European-based Volkswagen Group.
Sales in Brazil
In 2022, BYD sold only 260 vehicles in Brazil.
Sales jumped by 68-fold to nearly 18,000 units in 2023, and quadrupled again to 76,700 vehicles in 2024.
Last year, the company delivered over 112,800 vehicles in the country, with a record 15,530 units registered in December alone.
If the 250,000-unit target is achieved this year, 2026 sales will continue to double year over year.
A total of 9,755 units were registered in January, and 11,379 more were sold in February, representing increases of 51% and 64%, respectively.
Last month, BYD dominated Brazil’s fully electric vehicle (EV) market, claiming the top three best-selling spots.
The Dolphin Mini (known as Dolphin Surf in Europe and as Seagull in China), with which BYD began assembling in the country, led with 4,874 units sold.
It was followed by the Dolphin (Seagull in China) with 1,193 units, and the Yuan Pro (Atto 2 in Europe), which registered 447 units.
Notably, the top 10 EVs in Brazil are mostly Chinese-made.
Models from Leapmotor (backed by Stellantis), Great Wall Motor, and Geely also appear on the list.
The only exceptions are GM’s Chevrolet Captiva and Spark EV, ranking 5th and 9th, respectively.
Volvo’s entry-level EV EX30 closed the top ten.
Lineup
As the company prepares to import the hybrid version of the Yuan Pro, which recently debuted in Europe as the ‘Atto 2 DM-i,’ BYD has also introduced the new, seven-seat Atto 8.
The model is originally called the ‘Tang L’ in China, and debuted first in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region late last year, including countries such as Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.
The seven-seater, targeting large families, is available as a plug-in hybrid and is priced from R$399,990 in Brazil (equivalent to $75,800).
At the same event, BYD introduced the 2027 iteration of the recently debuted Song Plus, which was previously the most expensive SUV in its hybrid lineup.
The model launched with an entry-level price of R$249,990 ($47,300) last June.
BYD‘s cheapest and best-selling model — which was also the first model to be manufactured in the new factory — is the Dolphin Mini, which is priced from R$122,800 ($23,200) in the country.
The Dolphin Plus hatchback’s prices begin around R$60,000 higher.
BYD offers three electric sedans in Brazil: the Seal, the King and the luxury Han sedan, priced from R$559,800 ($105,700) — the most expensive model in the lineup.
It is followed by the Tang SUV, which is priced from R$536,800, equivalent to $101,400.
The portfolio also includes the Yuan Pro and Yuan Plus fully electric SUVs — known as the Atto 2 and Atto 3 in Europe —, the Song Pro SUV, and the hybrid off-roader Shark.
In addition to the Dolphin Mini, BYD produces the plug-in hybrid models Song Pro and King at its Bahia plant.
Plant Construction
BYD began production at its first Brazilian passenger car assembly plant last July.
The facility, located in the northeastern state of Bahia, is expected to produce up to 150,000 vehicles annually and supply markets across Latin America.
BYD said it had invested more than R$5.5 billion ($1.05 billion) in the site, which spans 4.6 million square metres and is projected to create as many as 20,000 direct and indirect jobs.
It’s the second plant that the Chinese manufacturer opens in Brazil, with the first having been established in the state of São Paulo in 2015. There, BYD produces commercial vehicles.
Construction of its passenger car plant was temporarily halted late last year due to an investigation by the Public Labour Prosecutor’s Office (MPT).
It resulted in BYD being prosecuted by the MPT over “slavery-like” working conditions for over 200 Chinese workers in the construction site.
Global Expansion
The Shenzhen-based company is currently the leading new energy vehicle (NEV) brand globally.
It is, however, facing plunging sales in China, which have led its February deliveries to drop 41% compared to the same period a year ago.
The company sold 187,783 passenger vehicles last month, which also represented an 8.6% drop from January.
While domestic sales more than halved in February, exports grew 50% year over year.
BYD aims to achieve 1.3 million sales outside China this year, a 24.3% increase from the nearly 1.05 million exports recorded in 2025.
Last year’s figures represented a 150% increase year over year. As of the end of 2025, the company was present across 110 countries.
