BYD Adds Two New Car Carriers to Its Fleet as Global Expansion Continues

Chinese carmaker BYD announced on Saturday that it is adding two more car carrier ships to its fleet, which now has a total of six vessels.

Its fifth car carrier, named ‘BYD Xi’An,’ was deployed over the weekend in the Jiangsu province, the company stated on Weibo.

According to local media outlet Yicai, the ‘BYD Xi’An’ has 16 vehicle decks and a loading capacity of 9,200 units.

Additionally, the sixth ship — the ‘BYD Changsha’ — is set to make its maiden voyage this Tuesday (June 24), after completing its sea trial phase this month. Both ships are 219.9 meters long and 27.7 meters wide.

The company announced in late April that the ‘BYD Shenzhen,’ previously the largest car carrier ship in the world, set sail for Brazil.

It reached the Itajaí port late last month, transporting 7,292 hybrid and electric vehicles aimed at its South American markets.

It included units from the Song Pro, Song Plus, Song Plus Premium and Dolphin Mini models.

BYD is also finishing construction on its site in Brazil, which is set to produce 150,000 vehicles annually.

In the meantime, competitor SAIC Motor’s Anji Logistics launched in mid-May the Anji Ahnsheng ship.

The state-owned carmaker claimed its ship was the world’s largest vehicle carrier, as it surpassed Shenzhen’s capacity by about 2,000 units. By then, SAIC’s ship departed on its first voyage to Europe.

Anji Logistics operates China’s largest self-managed vehicle shipping fleet, with over 30 ships, from which nine are domestic sea vessels and 15 are destined to overseas trade.

BYD‘s ships support its ongoing global expansion. The Shenzhen-based company is currently the leading new energy vehicle (NEV) brand globally.

The brand delivered 382,476 units in May, a 14% increase year over year. Of those, 89,047 vehicles were delivered overseas — a new record for the sixth consecutive month.

The company set a global goal of 5.5 million vehicle sales for this year, including 800,000 units overseas. BYD sold 1,763,369 vehicles from January 1 to May 31, reaching 32% of its 2025 target.

Last month, the automaker saw its sales quadruple in its top 12 European markets, compared to May 2024.

Earlier this month, executive VP Stella Li stated that BYD is planning to introduce its fast-charging network across several markets in Europe, according to a report by local media outlet Belga News.