15/09/2026
BYD is reportedly ordering 10 more giant car carriers as the Chinese automaker expands its overseas vehicle business.
The 10 ships are reportedly being built by China Merchants Industry at its Jinling and Haimen shipyards in China, with deliveries expected between 2027 and 2029.
Each ship is reported to have a capacity of 9,200 car-equivalent units (CEU). Together, the 10 vessels would add 92,000 CEU of shipping capacity.
BYD currently has 8 car carriers in its fleet. If the reported order is completed, that number would rise to 18 vessels, with total fleet capacity exceeding 130,000 CEU.
These are pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs), also known as Ro-Ro ships. Vehicles can be driven directly onto the ships and driven off when they reach their destination.
The expansion comes as BYD’s overseas sales are rising quickly. The company exported about 184,000 passenger vehicles from China in August 2026, up 131% from August 2025.
From January through August, BYD exported about 1.127 million vehicles, an 88% increase from the same period last year.
BYD is also reportedly looking to ship more than 2.5 million vehicles overseas in 2027, according to information cited by Reuters from Deutsche Bank and Citi after meetings with BYD management. BYD has not officially confirmed that target.
The need for more ships comes as Chinese automakers face growing demand overseas while the domestic Chinese car market remains weak.
China’s passenger-vehicle exports rose 77.5% year over year in August to 894,000 vehicles, while domestic sales fell 23.7%.
BYD has increasingly invested in its own shipping capacity to move more vehicles directly to international markets instead of relying entirely on outside shipping companies.
Sources: Reuters, China Passenger Car Association data, CarNewsChina.
