Chinese automotive giant BYD has officially taken to the seven seas with its first car transporting ship just five days after it took delivery.
Dubbed the ‘Explorer No. 1’, the vessel was reportedly delivered to the carmaker on January 9 and has already set sail for Europe with its first payload of brand new vehicles.
The ship itself measures just under 200m in length, is capable of carrying up to 7000 vehicles total, and runs on both liquefied natural gas and conventional fuel which BYD says is a step in the right direction towards sustainability.
The Chinese carmaker plans to put multiple water bound transporters into service over the next two years in a bid to take hold of its logistics channels and thus eliminate the possibility of any delays it may have previously experienced with third-party carriers.
A fleet of ships will also bolster BYD’s position as the world’s leading EV maker after it sold more electric cars than Tesla did in the fourth quarter of 2023.
What this means for us here in New Zealand is that customer’s cars should arrive on our shores sooner, including new models like the Dolphin hatchback and Seal sedan. We’ll also see the arrival of BYD’s first-ever ute later this year, the model of which is expected to be released in fully electric form shortly after.
