- BYD plans to roll out its first EV assembled in Pakistan by July or August 2026, an executive said.
- BYD announced its entry into Pakistan in August 2024 and began delivering imported EVs there in March.
BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) will begin operations at its Pakistan factory next year, increasing the Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) maker's overseas production capacity.
The company plans to roll out its first electric vehicle (EV) assembled in Pakistan by July or August 2026 to meet growing demand for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the region, Reuters reported today.
The factory, which has been under construction near Karachi since April, is being built in collaboration with Mega Motor Company, a subsidiary of Pakistan's utility firm Hub Power, according to the report, which cites Danish Khaliq, BYD Pakistan's vice president of sales and strategy.
The factory will initially operate on a two-shift system with an annual production capacity of 25,000 units, Khaliq said, without specifying when the factory will reach full production capacity or when mass production will begin, according to the report.
Khaliq said that the factory will initially assemble imported components and produce some non-electric parts locally.
He also mentioned that the factory will initially produce vehicles for the domestic market in Pakistan and may export to right-hand drive countries in the region based on freight costs and business economics.
BYD launched three models in Pakistan on August 17, 2024: the all-electric Atto 3, the Seal EV, and the hybrid Sealion 6.
In China, the Atto 3 is known as the Yuan Plus, and the Sealion 6 is called the Song Plus DM-i.
BYD may open its first NEV assembly plant in Pakistan in Karachi in the future, depending on development needs, the company said at the time.
The plant in Pakistan will meet the growing demand in emerging markets and enable the company to take advantage of incentives offered by the Pakistani government, Reuters notes in its report today.
BYD began delivering imported EVs in Pakistan in March, Khaliq said, without disclosing specific sales figures but said that sales of hundreds of vehicles had already exceeded internal targets by 30 percent.
Khaliq said he expects the market size for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in Pakistan to grow three to four times in 2025 from about 1,000 units in 2024.
He said BYD aims to capture a 30 percent to 35 percent share in the sector.
BYD will launch its Shark 6 plug-in hybrid pickup truck in Pakistan on Friday, according to the report.
The pickup truck was initially launched in Mexico in May 2024 under the name BYD Shark. The model is not available in the Chinese market and has been renamed Shark 6 in several overseas markets.
