One of the most popular Chinese car brands in the world has announced that it will be transporting 7,000 electric vehicles thanks to a huge vehicle transporter ship.
Posting on the Chinese social media site Weibo, BYD announced that its Xi'an vehicle carrier shipping vessel will be making its way to Europe.
The brand, which has its headquarters in the Chinese city of Xi'an, said around 7,000 "new energy vehicles" are boarding the ship.
The post added that the car carrier would be travelling to the UK, Italy, Spain, Belgium and other European countries.
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The BYD Xi'an ship is carrying 7,000 'new energy vehicles' to Europe
BYD
Addressing its almost three million fans on Weibo, BYD accompanied the post with the hashtag "Riding the wind and waves together".
The term "new energy vehicle" is a catch-all term for vehicles which do not rely solely on fossil fuels, and tends to be used in China.
This includes battery electric cars, plug-in hybrid models and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
According to shipping tracking websites, the Hong Kong-flagged Xi'an most recently left Taiwan, with the last update coming on Thursday, June 26.
The BYD Xi'an ship will land in the UK in the coming weeks
BYD
The Xi'an is transporting Dolphin Surf models from China to Europe as the brand aims to develop its foothold in the European market.
The Dolphin Surf is the brand's budget model, equipped with a battery range of up to 200 miles and the ability to fast charge from 30 to 80 per cent in just 22 minutes. It has a starting price of just £18,650 for its Active model.
Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that BYD has already sold 14,807 vehicles in the first five months of the year.
This is enough for 1.74 per cent of the UK's total market share, beating out the likes of established brands like Citroen, Fiat, Honda, Porsche and Seat.
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BYD is one of the fastest-growing automotive brands in the UK and across Europe
BYD
It also represents a massive 570 per cent increase in sales compared to the same time last year, when it sold just 2,207 vehicles.
BYD announced that it had sold more cars in the first quarter of 2025 than it did in the whole of 2024 in the UK, as it continues its brand rollout.
Steve Beattie, sales and marketing director of BYD UK, said: "At BYD, our mission is to bring high-tech and high-value cars to our customers, and it’s great to see this resonating with UK buyers."
BYD has a number of its own vehicle-carrying vessels, including the Hefei, Explorer 1, Changsa, Jinan and Shenzhen.
In May, the BYD Shenzhen docked at the Port of Itajai on the northern coast of Brazil, in what was described as the "largest electric vehicle operation ever conducted in Brazil".
The BYD vessels allow for a quick transfer of vehicles in a method known as "Ro-Ro" or "roll-on, roll-off".
When in operation, this means vehicles can drive on and off the road via a ramp, rather than needing cranes or hoisting equipment.
Superintendent João Paulo Tavares Bastos noted: "The operation at BYD Shenzhen was carried out with total efficiency in terms of berthing rate and pier productivity."
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