China’s Largest Carmaker Now Owns a Fleet of 7 Dedicated Cargo Ships!

When exports reach a whole new level, having a dedicated fleet of ships is no longer a luxury it becomes a necessity. And China’s largest automaker seems to understand that perfectly.

BYD, China’s Automotive Giant, Expands Its Private Shipping Fleet to Strengthen EV Exports

As China’s leading automaker, BYD is moving away from relying on third-party shipping companies by building and operating its own fleet of car carriers. This strategic decision comes in response to the company’s rapidly growing electric vehicle (EV) exports.

Back in December 2023, BYD made headlines with the launch of its first dedicated car carrier, Explorer No. 1. Since then, the pace of development has been nothing short of astonishing. In just a year and a half, the company has brought seven dedicated auto transport ships into operation.

According to CleanTechnica, BYD’s newest vessel is named BYD Zhengzhou, with a capacity to carry up to 7,000 vehicles at once. The ship takes its name from the city of Zhengzhou in Henan Province home to one of BYD’s largest manufacturing plants. In fact, all BYD vessels follow a similar naming convention, drawing names from Chinese cities that play a central role in the company’s production network.

The names of the ships include:

BYD Explorer No. 1

BYD Hefei

BYD Changzhou

BYD Shenzhen

BYD Xi’an

BYD Changsha

BYD Zhengzhou

BYD’s Fleet Has Shipped Over 70,000 Clean-Energy Vehicles Worldwide and It’s Just Getting Started

So far, BYD’s dedicated cargo ships have delivered more than 70,000 clean-energy vehicles to markets around the world. The company’s latest vessel, BYD Zhengzhou, was built by Guangzhou Shipyard International and shares technical specifications with the earlier BYD Hefei ship.

The rapid expansion of BYD’s fleet doesn’t come as a surprise. The automaker’s global sales are growing at an astonishing pace. In June 2025 alone, BYD’s global sales surged 42.5% year-over-year, and for the first half of 2025, the company posted an impressive 31.5% growth compared to the same period last year.

In the first six months of the year, BYD sold over 2.14 million vehicles, with strong demand in its domestic Chinese market but international shipments are also rising fast. Remarkably, in June 2025, the company exported around 90,000 vehicles outside of China.