MEXICO – BYD plans to build a plant in Mexico where it will create around 10,000 jobs, which would put it on par with some of the country’s largest OEMs.
The electric vehicle giant is in final negotiations for the location of the facility, and an official announcement is expected in the coming months, according to Jorge Vallejo, BYD’s General Manager in Mexico. However, he has not clarified how many of those workers would be employed directly by BYD versus contractors or suppliers.
A plant of that size would employ more people than the facilities of some other automakers in the country, such as Audi. Volkswagen’s Puebla plant, the largest in the country, employs 6,100 assembly-line workers and 5,000 supervisory employees, along with thousands of people who handle parts assembly.
The car brand is on track to sell 50,000 units in the country this year. Last month, BYD launched its Shark hybrid truck in Mexico, a further sign of the country’s growing importance to the company.
In early 2024, Tesla announced its sales for the previous year, highlighting in the media that BYD, its Chinese competitor, had sold more electric cars in the fourth quarter of 2023. Tesla recorded sales of 484,507 cars, while BYD reached 526,409 electric vehicles. These figures are impressive for two of the leading companies in the sector, which is booming and destined to replace the current fleet of gasoline and diesel cars. This fact further underlines BYD’s relevance on the global scene.