[2022-06-08] Chinese automaker BYD negotiates to buy Ford’s plant in Brazil

Source: Permanent Secretariat to the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao)

The Chinese automaker BYD plans to acquire Ford’s plant in Camaçari, Bahia, to expand the production of its electric cars and generate thousands of job opportunities.

The Chinese company is currently the third most highly valued automotive manufacturer in the world. With two factories in Brazil, one for solar photovoltaic panels in the Manaus Free Trade Zone (AM) and the other for electric bus chassis in Campinas (SP), BYD is now seeking the acquisition of Ford’s old factory in Camaçari, where it could assemble its electric cars and hybrid vehicles on a smaller scale, in CKD and SKD formats.

In 2021, Ford announced the closure of vehicle production in Brazil, closing the plants in Camaçari, Taubaté, and Horizonte.