Significant Investment in Thailand
The Rayong plant represents an investment of approximately £825 million (35,925 million baht) and boasts a maximum production capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year.
The facility handles the full manufacturing lifecycle—stamping, welding, painting, and assembly—for popular models including the Dolphin, Atto 3, and the Sealion 6 DM-i.
Ke Yubin, general manager of BYD Auto (Thailand), highlighted the company’s commitment to the local economy, noting that the plant employs 6,100 staff, of whom 92% are Thai nationals.
Global Ambitions
The controversy comes as BYD cements its position as a global powerhouse. In 2025, the firm reported total worldwide sales of 4.55 million vehicles, an increase of 7.1%.
Notably, more than 2.25 million of these were pure electric vehicles, outstripping Tesla’s reported 1.63 million units.
Last year also marked a milestone for the brand, as overseas sales outside of mainland China surpassed one million units for the first time—a staggering 150.7% increase from the previous year. Thailand remains a cornerstone of this international growth, accounting for nearly 50,000 of those sales.