On the Chinese docks, BYD isn’t just stacking cars ready to depart. The automaker is carving out its own route abroad, not on asphalt but in steel. After putting eight Ro-Ro ships into service dedicated to transporting its electric and plug‑in hybrid models, the Chinese giant is stepping up the pace: ten new vessels are set to join its fleet by the end of the decade. That could transform this BYD fleet of ships into a true maritime highway, capable of delivering entire car cargoes on each voyage to Europe and the rest of the world.
Against this backdrop, the contrast is striking. In 2026, BYD’s sales fell 43% in its home market, to 1.15 million vehicles in trailing-year terms, while its exports surged 88% versus 2025 to reach 1.12 million units, almost matching domestic sales. Those exports already account for 35.4% of all electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles shipped out of China. It is in this context that BYD is charting its “maritime highway” to the European Union, with a fleet expected to count 18 ships and an export capacity close to 2.5 million cars per year, putting Europe squarely at the center of the plan.
BYD’s Fleet of Ships Sized for a Permanent Bridge to Europe
The first step in this strategy has already been taken. The company currently operates eight Ro-Ro ships that can load and unload cars by their own wheels, without relying on traditional containers. Explorer No.1, Hefei, Changzhou, Shenzhen, Xi’an, Changsha, Zhengzhou and Jinan already run regular rotations between China and the rest of the world. Each vessel can carry between 7,200 and 9,000 vehicles, which enables BYD to ship roughly 1 million cars per year with this single existing fleet.
Looking ahead, the bar is set much higher. The latest word from China points to an order for ten additional carrier ships, each offering capacity of about 9,200 vehicle equivalents. These ten vessels will add at least 92,000 more slots and lift the combined capacity of the 18 BYD ships to almost 150,000 vehicles on board at once, bound for Europe as well as other regions. On a full-year basis, the company expects to far exceed 2 million exported cars, approaching 2.5 million thanks to deliveries staggered between 2027 and 2029. Deutsche Bank estimates already point to a goal of 1.9 to 2.2 million vehicles exported as early as 2026, then more than 2.5 million in 2027, underscoring how central this fleet is to the bigger puzzle.
Price War, Tariffs: Why BYD Is Building Its Own Maritime Highway to Europe
If BYD is investing so heavily in this floating infrastructure, it isn’t just about the prestige of having its name on the hull. In China, the price war over electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles is squeezing margins, with fierce competition among dozens of local brands. The company isn’t content with merely building cars: it makes its own batteries, is developing ultra-fast charging networks, and now controls a large share of the logistics needed to move its models around the globe. The ten future ships are meant to “ease the heavy pressure” that the brand faces in its home market, at a time when maritime routes have been disrupted by blockages tied to the Iran conflict. By internalizing transport, BYD says it can cut transport costs per vehicle by roughly 30 to 40% versus hiring third-party ships, a game-changing improvement when shipping hundreds of thousands of vehicles.
Europe sits at the far end of this maritime corridor. The continent already takes a sizeable share of Chinese EVs, in a setting where the European Union now imposes a base 10% tariff, plus roughly 17% in specific compensating duties on BYD’s 100% electric models manufactured in China. To mitigate this, the company is gearing up for mass production in Hungary, with a plant designed to supply the European market without those levies. The BYD fleet will then shuttle not only between China and Europe, but also among the group’s factories worldwide and a network of European ports already well mapped, from Zeebrugge to Wilhelmshaven via Koper, Motril, and Southampton. And this isn’t about a handful of freighters, but a steady stream of ships in BYD livery, delivering a fresh wave of models to European showrooms each month, with more predictable lead times and added pressure on a market already undergoing rapid change.
