These Indonesian-assembled BYD EVs will be rolling out of the Chinese automaker’s new production site in West Java.
Despite having landed over there in 2024, BYD has nevertheless already announced that it currently is aiming to locally-assemble its EVs in Indonesia by next year. And these BYD EVs will be rolling out from the Chinese automaker’s new plant in Subang, West Java, which incidentally apparently comes at a cost of $1 billion (RM 4.5 billion).
BYD has recently stated its ambitions to complete its premiere plant in Indonesia at the tail end of 2025, with production of its first cars to commence not long after the completion of construction. This upcoming site in Subang is slated to have a production capacity of 150,000 EVs annually, and will be Chinese automaker’s second in ASEAN, after its Thai facility that opened in 2024.
“Every single progression of our local manufacturing is quite smooth and also on the track. We will keep our commitment, which is by end-2025, we will complete the construction works,” said Eagle Zhao, BYD’s president director in Indonesia in a joint interview with Reuters and CNBC Indonesia. “The long-term plan for the plant is for the export market,” continued Mr. Zhao.
With the massive investment it has poured into the Indonesian production facility, BYD has been allowed to temporarily import its cars over there without incurring import duties. The Chinese automaker currently has four models available in Indonesia, all of which are fully-electric: the Seal sedan, Atto 3 compact SUV, Dolphin hatchback and M6 MPV.
In 2024, its first year of sales in Indonesia, BYD had managed to shift 15,429 cars over there. And according to January to November figures at least, the Chinese automaker was the leader in terms of fully-electric car sales in Indonesia, with about 36% of the market share.
The growth of BYD in Indonesia is expected to only accelerate in 2025 too, not least because the Chinese automaker’s luxury-focused Denza sub-brand is also set to enter the market over there in the next few days.
Denza is incidentally set to land locally as well in the coming months, with its D9 all-electric luxury MPV all but earmarked for an eventual Malaysian premiere. The question of BYD opening an assembly plant over here is a more murky topic though, but long-running whispers on the industrial grape vine does suggest that Malaysian-made BYDs are set to be a thing before the government pulls the plug on CBU EV subsidies next year.
