DP World unloaded 1,918 BYD electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles at its San Antonio terminal, the largest single shipment of new energy vehicles ever landed in Chile and the first call by one of BYD’s own car carriers at a Chilean port.
The port operator celebrated the record in a statement published on Thursday, a month after the ship sailed.
The BYD Changzhou, a roll-on roll-off carrier from BYD’s own fleet with capacity for about 7,000 vehicles, discharged the cars at DP World’s multipurpose terminal on Wednesday August 12 and left at 6 a.m. the next day on what the company described as the inaugural voyage of its South American route.
BYD said the load was the largest number of new energy vehicles delivered to Chile aboard a single vessel.
ANAC, the Chilean automotive association, put BYD’s battery-electric registrations at 652 in the first seven months of the year, fourth behind Tesla’s 1,820, Volvo’s 456 and ahead of Maxus, and its plug-in hybrids at 999, second to Changan’s 1,420.
One ship carried about three times the battery-electric cars BYD sold in Chile from January to July.
BYD said more than 3,500 of its vehicles would arrive in Chile during August and more than 10,000 new vehicles would land before the end of 2026, according to DP World’s August 13 statement.
Chile’s EV Market
Chile’s electric vehicle market is expanding rapidly.
Sales of new energy vehicles (NEV) increased 165.4% year over year in the first half of 2026, according to the Chilean Automotive Association (ANAC).
NEVs reached 6.5% of the country’s new light- and medium-duty vehicle market in the period, with a total of 9,978 electrified vehicles sold, of which 5,425 were fully electric vehicles (BEV) and 3,811 were plug-in hybrid (PHEVs), representing double and triple jumps year over year, respectively.
Additionally, 742 extended-range electric vehicles (EREV) were listed in the first six months of the year.
BYD plans to bring more than 3,500 vehicles to the Chilean market during August and surpass 10,000 new units imported into the country before the end of 2026, according to the company’s local commercial manager Rodrigo González, as reported by Chilean automotive outlet Autocosmos.
The use of company-owned car carriers is part of BYD’s broader logistics strategy to expand its South American presence and reduce dependence on external shipping operators.
BYD’s Americas Push
The Chilean milestone adds to BYD’s growing footprint across the Americas.
In Brazil, the Shenzhen-based company topped the country’s retail auto sales rankings in April for the first time, selling over 14,900 vehicles.
BYD began production at its passenger car assembly plant in the northeastern state of Bahia in July 2025.
The facility is expected to produce up to 150,000 vehicles annually and supply markets across Latin America, with the company targeting 250,000 vehicle deliveries in Brazil this year.
In Argentina, BYD delivered its first shipment of 5,800 electric and hybrid vehicles in January, capitalizing on President Javier Milei’s decision to allow up to 50,000 electric and hybrid vehicles into the country tariff-free in 2026.
In Mexico, BYD accounted for about 70% of the country’s EV and plug-in hybrid sales in 2025.
China-made EVs have been appearing on US roads — legally — under a customs provision that allows non-US residents to drive foreign-registered vehicles across the border for personal use, with BYD models purchased in Tijuana spotted in California and Texas.
In Canada, BYD is testing four models — the Shark, Sealion 7, Sealion 06 and Ti7 — ahead of an expected market entry under the country’s Chinese EV import quota of 49,000 vehicles per year.
The company has posted at least 14 open job listings in the Toronto area and is searching for dealership sites for a network of about 20 stores.
Overseas Targets
The Americas expansion comes as BYD continues to raise its overseas sales ambitions.
The company lifted its 2026 overseas sales guidance to 1.9 million–2.0 million vehicles, up from 1.5 million units set in March and 1.3 million in January.
Overseas sales rose 85.7% year over year to 1,162,260 vehicles in the first eight months of 2026.
August alone accounted for a record 189,466 units, the fifth consecutive monthly record.
BYD aims to sell more than 2.5 million vehicles overseas in 2027, according to Deutsche Bank analysts who cited the figure from a post-earnings investor call.
Management said shipping capacity constrained overseas volumes this year and that sales could have been higher.
