While still giving its first steps in Brazil, automotive electrification is already a reality in major metropolitan areas. Chinese company BYD is a manufacturer of electric vehicles and other solutions for the electric market, and its recent investments in the country signal the company's commitment to establishing itself in the national market.

Today, the company occupies the Condomínio Multitech in the city of Campinas, in São Paulo state, but its operation in the venture is getting an extra boost. In October, BYD took over the former Ford factory for car production in Camaçari, Bahia.

With an initial investment of R$ 3 billion and an estimated creation of 5,000 jobs, the automaker will produce the Dolphin hatchback and the Yuan Plus SUV, both electric, and the hybrid Song Plus. Production is set to commence between late 2024 and early 2025, with a total capacity of 150,000 units per year.

In an exclusive interview with REsource, Marcello Schneider, BYD's institutional director in Brazil, explains why the company chose the region.

"The choice of the Northeast involves a series of strategic factors, ranging from the regional decentralization of the automotive industry in the country, which is more focused on the Southeast, to contributing to the federal government's agenda, which aims to invest in the reindustrialization of Brazil. Furthermore, BYD's arrival in Bahia is a turning point for the national automotive industry, which is once again looking to invest and produce in the state, this time with a plant manufacturing electric and hybrid vehicle with the highest technology in a symbolic and strategic industrial complex," he explains.

In the third quarter, according to data from the SiiLA Market Analytics data analysis platform, the Northeast region reached 2,523,607 square meters of total stock in class A+, A, and B industrial properties, 5.8% more than the previous period.

Schneider believes in the country and sees Brazil as a market with significant potential for the production and sale of electric vehicles. Additionally, the current government's stance on reindustrialization and sustainability aligns with the company's values, according to BYD's institutional director.

"For example, the factories in Bahia have the goal of making electrified cars a domestically made product and ensuring even more competitiveness for the brand's vehicles and accessibility so that the Brazilian public, passionate about cars, can indeed realize the dream of having a clean energy-powered car in their garage," Schneider explains.

The company is attentive to market trends in Brazil and believes that there is not just one single path or solution for market electrification. In addition to vehicle production, the automaker will invest in research and development to create its own hybrid-flex engine compatible with ethanol.

Looking to the future, the Chinese manufacturer believes that the population's purchasing power will increase and has the "intention to make electric and hybrid vehicles increasingly competitive for the Brazilian market. At the same time, the company already has 32 BYD dealerships spread across all regions of Brazil, and the plan is to reach 100 by the end of the year," Schneider concludes.