In an interview with Bloomberg, Jorge Vallejo, BYD’s General Director for Mexico, said that the company’s local factory will be on par with some of the largest auto plants in the country. Vallejo didn’t disclose how many of the 10,000 jobs at this production facility will be direct employment from the company, though. Thus, this figure may include employees of contractors and suppliers as well.
According to Bloomberg, Volkswagen’s factory in Sanctorum (Puebla) is the largest auto plant in Mexico. The German automaker says that this vehicle assembly and a local engine production facility in Silao (Guanajuato) together employ approximately 13,000 people.
After considering proposals for its upcoming plant in Mexico from 23 states, BYD has filtered down the list to three locations, Vallejo said. Stella Li, the company’s executive vice president and CEO for the Americas region, has previously stated that the company plans to set up this factory near Mexico City, which is located in the south-central part of the country.
In an interview with Yahoo Finance, Li said that BYD’s investment in Mexico is mainly focused on the local market. Thus, while many American brands manufacture cars in the northern part of the country to easily ship their cars back home, BYD is looking for a place that is within a 200 km radius of Mexico City, Li added.
BYD’s plan to open an auto factory in Mexico raises the question of whether the company plans to start selling cars in the US. However, it is unlikely to use the Mexican plant as a backdoor or a way to evade the steep 100% tariff the US will soon impose on China-made EVs. Li said that BYD does not plan to come to the US as “it is very complicated.”
BYD has a strong vehicle line-up of nine models in Mexico, six of which are EVs and three are PHEVs. Vallejo said that the company aims to sell 50,000 vehicles in the country this year.