BYD has started shipping vehicles made in Thailand to Europe, with more than 900 units of the Dolphin EV having departed for Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom, reported Car News China.
The Europe-bound shipment of BYD vehicles from Thailand are aboard the BYD Zhengzhou, the carmaker’s roll-on/roll-off (RORO) carrier vessel that is named after the city where the manufacturer’s factory is located.
The application of tariffs by the European Union upon Chinese-made electric vehicles started in late-2024, and was planned to be in place for a period of five years. The EU reduced tariffs for selected brands which build their EVs in China shortly thereafter, and BYD was given a reduced tariff rate of 20.7% on top of the existing 10% customs duty for their cooperation with EU investigations, Car News China reported.
The BYD plant in Rayong, Thailand opened in 2024, and it is the brand’s first in Southeast Asia. This was stated to have an annual production capacity of 150,000 units, a figure which includes plug-in hybrid vehicles, and the plant produces vehicles for Thai market consumption as well as overseas exports. In July this year, the Rayong plant reached its 90,000th vehicle milestone.
“Following the delivery of our 90,000th NEV in July, we are once again achieving a breakthrough. The export of Thai-made Dolphin models to Europe for the first time not only represents another step forward in BYD’s globalisation strategy, but also underscores Thailand’s vital role in the global EV supply chain,” BYD Thailand general manager Ke Yubin was quoted as saying.
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