The BYD CHANGZHOU, a gigantic ship operated by BYD, the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles, arrived at a port in the province of Kocaeli – on the north-west coast of Turkey – loaded with 7,000 cars destined for the Turkish market.
According to newspapers such as Hürriyet, the huge ship docked at the ‘Safiport’ port in the district of Derince, some 100 km southeast of Istanbul, after crossing the Dardanelles Strait under the Çanakkale Bridge and entering the Bay of İzmit under the Osmangazi Bridge. BYD stated in a press release that the ship left the port of Ningbo in China on 25 February and arrived in Turkey after a 39-day voyage.
The BYD CHANGZHOU is a vessel 199.9 metres long and 38 metres wide, with a gross tonnage of 69,250 tonnes and a net capacity of 21,400 tonnes. It is capable of transporting large cargoes and operates with a dual propulsion system, using liquefied natural gas (LNG) to reduce its CO2 emissions.
The arrival of these 7,000 electric cars in Turkey is part of BYD’s strategy to expand its presence in the Turkish market, after an agreement was announced in 2024 with Ankara for the Asian company to make investments of $1 billion in an electric vehicle production plant to be built in the Turkish province of Manisa; the factory, which is expected to start operating in 2026, will generate at least 20,000 direct jobs and will boost the region’s economy.
According to data from the Turkish Automobile Dealers and Mobility Association (ODMD), BYD was the brand that experienced the fastest growth in the passenger car market during the first quarter of 2025 in Turkey. With growing interest in the Chinese brand from Turkish consumers, last March BYD launched its TANG model, a 7-seater electric SUV, on the Turkish market. This brings to seven the number of car models that BYD offers on the Turkish market, including the DOLPHIN, the ATTO 3, the SEAL U DM-i, the SEAL U EV, the HAN and the SEAL AWD.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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