Source: AFP
Thousands of cars from China’s BYD disembarked from a ship in the German port of Bremerhaven on Monday as the world’s biggest electric car maker brought its challenge directly to Europe’s car factory.
The delivery was made by BYD Explorer No.1, the first of eight cargo ships specially commissioned by the Chinese group to expand its export business.
The shipment’s arrival could become yet another headache for the established European auto giants, which have followed new rivals in switching from internal combustion engines to batteries.
BYD overtook US automaker Tesla as the largest maker of battery electric vehicles by volume late last year, delivering more than 500,000 units in the final quarter of 2023.
After calling at the Dutch port of Vlissingen, the BYD Explorer No.1 docked in Bremerhaven on Sunday, a spokeswoman for the German port told AFP.
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![](https://images.yen.com.gh/images/81580b83dbd6d05f.jpg?impolicy=cropped-image&imwidth=256)
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About 3,000 vehicles were unloaded Monday from the vessel, which carries the automaker’s own materials, the spokeswoman said.
BYD began life in 1995 as a battery manufacturer and later turned its attention to the production of plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles.
Source: AFP
The vehicles produced by the Shenzhen-based company compete with Tesla on prices within China and in Europe.
In addition to shipping a large number of cars to Europe, BYD has plans to establish its own factory in the region, like Tesla, which operates a factory near Berlin.
BYD said in January that the planned base in Hungary would start operating in three years.
Source: AFP