BYD Seagull to Start Production in Brazil Next June

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BYD’s plant in Camaçarí faced significant hurdles in late 2024 when Brazilian media denounced that Jinjiang, one of the three companies working on the construction of the factory, had been violating its workers’ rights. In late January, it was announced that all Chinese workers were going back to China after being paid what they were legally owed, BYD was creating a task force to make sure this situation would not repeat, and work was restarting under a Brazilian company which, presumably, would not repeat the excesses of Jinjiang. Despite the issue being solved now, this seems to have somewhat delayed BYD’s plan to start production in March 2025.

However, it seems recently things are going BYD’s way, and according to a press conference in Shengzhou, production is now expected to start in June, less than two months from now (and less than four from their original target).

BYD Dolphin Mini (Seagull) Announced, BYD Song Delayed

I have no idea what motivated BYD to call the Seagull “Dolphin Mini” in half the region and leave it as “Seagull” in the other half, but alas, that’s the situation we find ourselves in.

This city-car will start production in less than two months, first as semi-knocked-down (SKD) vehicles coming from China to pivot later to local suppliers and manufacturers. For now, 150,000 yearly units are expected to be produced in Camaçarí, but that amount could double from 2027 onwards if the market sustains it, as Brazil will serve as a regional hub, exporting this model to all of Latin America. Particularly important is the Mercosur, which includes Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. It will be served in 2026 once local suppliers reach the required percentage in the finalized vehicle (Mercosur has clauses similar to USMCA, making it a requirement for any locally sold model to have a percentage of locally sourced parts).

This could work to the detriment of Mexico, whose industry is now at risk of significant damage amidst President Trump’s trade wars, and whose BYD factory is now being delayed.

As Brazil’s importance rises, it seems now that BYD’s city-car may be subject to changes that may make it more appealing to Latin American costumers, turning Brazil into an R&D center as well as a production hub. The company seems to be betting a lot on this model, as the BYD Song — the next model in line — was not even mentioned at the press conference where Seagull production was announced.

Yet the Song remains a critical model for BYD and Brazil, as it is likely to become the first flexi-fuel plug-in hybrid in the world. And even if I’m not all that into biofuels, I see a lot of potential for long-range EREVs capable of running on ethanol to dramatically reduce gasoline use without requiring that much extra land to raise the required fuel.