BYD is expanding its supplier base and preparing more production operations at its Camaçari complex in Bahia, Brazil, as it works toward making half of its vehicles’ content locally by January 2027. The company has approved more than 400 suppliers and is in talks with another 250, according to the report. BYD has not disclosed its current local-content level or how it calculates the target.
Preparations include welding, painting and stamping, which would extend the work carried out in Brazil beyond vehicle assembly. The site already assembles battery packs and makes electric motors, but the report distinguishes battery-pack assembly from manufacturing the cells themselves. BYD also plans for 17 major component suppliers, or system suppliers, to operate as part of the complex’s supply network.
The Camaçari plant is also expected to serve export demand. BYD senior vice-president Alexandre Baldy said vehicles for Argentina and Mexico—50,000 for each market—are intended to be made at the Bahia site, though shipment timing has not been announced. The company sees local sourcing as important for both domestic sales and exports, and says closer suppliers could improve logistics and parts availability.
BYD currently assembles the Dolphin Mini, Song Pro flex-fuel and King in Brazil. Assembly of the Atto 2 flex-fuel has also begun. The report presents the localization drive as part of a broader effort to deepen BYD’s Brazilian industrial operations, while noting that greater technology investment in the supply chain would require decisions beyond the factory itself.