BYD Explores Cooperation With Reliance And Adani For Manufacturing In India

BYD Seal. (Doc. BYD Company)

JAKARTA Global expansion BYD continues to accelerate. This electric vehicle manufacturer from China is now planning to strengthen its presence in India by building local manufacturing facilities. BYD has started talks with two major Indian conglomerates, Reliance Group and Adani, to realize this move.

Citing a report from India's Autocar on Thursday, October 3, Rajeev Chauhan, India's Head of Electric Passenger Vehicle Business (EPV) BYD, confirmed that the company has ambitions to start full-scale production in India.

"BYD is committed to starting a full-scale manufacturing. Until the facility is ready, we will continue to offer global products to Indian consumers," said Chauhan.

Although it hasn't started this year, the local production process is expected to run next year. Currently, BYD is still focused on expanding its product portfolio and increasing brand awareness in the Indian market.

In fact, BYD already has a small assembly base in Tamil Nadu, India, but currently it still relies on importing components from China. This expansion plan is part of a major BYD strategy to reduce that dependence.

In addition to strengthening the manufacturing sector, BYD will also expand its vehicle model line in India. After successfully launching the Seal electric sedan earlier this year and bringing Atto 3 to the Indian market, the manufacturer plans to present an MPV of seven passengers, eMax 7, based on the E6 model.

Interestingly, the electric MPV which will launch in India is a model that has been introduced in Indonesia at the GIIAS 2024 event. In fact, a similar model, M6, has entered the Thai market first.

In Indonesia, BYD offers two variants of the MPV electricity, namely Dynamics with a 55.4 kWh battery that can cover a distance of up to 420 km, as well as an Extended variant with a battery capacity of 71.8 kWh which offers a range of up to 530 km in one charge.