BYD's first Brazil-built plug-in hybrid goes on sale, running on gasoline, ethanol or electricity

BYD (HKEX: 1211) has rolled out its first locally produced plug-in hybrid flex-fuel car in Brazil, adding another piece to its localization strategy.

The model, called the Song Pro Super-Hibrido Flex Fuel (Song Pro DM-i Flex), was launched on Tuesday and hits dealerships across Brazil on Wednesday, BYD's senior vice president in Brazil, Alexandre Baldy, told Reuters .

The car took two years to develop and involved an investment of 100 million reais ($19.6 million). Its powertrain can run on electricity, gasoline or ethanol.

The electric-only range is 60 km for the GL version and 120 km for the higher-end GS version.

The car is built at the Camacari plant in Bahia state, with more than 50% local parts content. That is in line with BYD's plan to hit that target for all Brazilian-made vehicles by January 2027.

"It's a highly symbolic project for BYD," Baldy said.

The car was co-developed by research and development teams in Brazil and China, the first such collaboration, resulting in a project tailored exclusively for the Brazilian market, he said.

BYD initially entered Brazil as an assembler of semi-knocked-down (SKD) vehicles and is now shifting to local production to comply with local rules and establish the country as a regional export hub.

The company already sources components such as tires locally and plans to build batteries and other parts at the Camacari factory.

Although developed for Brazil, the Song Pro Flex could eventually be sold in other markets, including India, as ethanol fuels gain wider adoption, Baldy said.

BYD is investing 5.5 billion reais in the Camacari plant, which began production on July 1, 2025 , with a planned annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles in its first phase.

The factory is expected to produce about 180,000 cars this year, Baldy said. BYD aims to sell about 200,000 vehicles in Brazil in 2026, with roughly 150,000 of those supplied by the plant.

Last month, the plant rolled out its 100,000th new energy vehicle (NEV) , and its workforce surpassed 5,500 employees.

July was BYD's strongest month yet in Brazil. Its Dolphin GS topped the retail market with 5,861 units sold, the company said.

BYD's total sales in Brazil that month reached 23,465 vehicles, more than double the 9,680 sold a year earlier, giving it a 9.1% market share and fourth place in the country, according to the Reuters report.

The company aims to become Brazil's best-selling car brand by 2030.

With competition intensifying at home, overseas business is becoming increasingly important for the Shenzhen-based automaker. In March, BYD raised its 2026 overseas sales target to 1.5 million vehicles from 1.3 million.

In the first seven months of this year, BYD sold 972,794 vehicles overseas, up 78.49% year-on-year and accounting for 43.67% of its total NEV sales, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.