High demand for BYD (Build Your Dreams/Shenzhen/002594) electric vehicles (EVs) in Turkey has brought the Chinese carmaker's giant vehicle carrier BYD Changzhou back to the country, BYD Turkey (@BYD_Turkiye) said on April 6.

BYD’s vessel, which has a capacity of as many as 7,000 vehicles, is billed as a pioneer in sustainable logistics thanks to its liquefied natural gas-supported (LNG-supported) dual-fuel system. The ship on April 5 docked at Turkey’s Derince Safiport Port following a 21-day journey from China.

Video: Stirring stuff. BYD Changzhou sails to Turkey.

In February, Turkey’s homegrown EV company Togg delivered 2,038 vehicles to the market, claiming second spot, while Tesla was the market leader with 3,310 vehicles.

MINI was the third best-selling brand on the Turkish EV market with 964 units sold, followed by KIA with 822 and BYD with 537.

In January-February, only the world’s largest EV maker, BYD, which won exemptions from the Turkish government’s import tariffs as it last year signed a deal for a $1bn investment in a car plant in the country, was unaffected by the slump that hit Chinese peers.

BYD’s sales in the country soared 1,324% y/y in the first two months to 5,341 while Chery, SAIC and Skywell saw their sales nosedive.

The sales of Chery plunged 51% y/y in the first two months of 2025 to 4,630 units, while the annual decline for SAIC, the maker of MG cars, was 87% y/y to 318.

Skywell saw its sales decline more than 41% y/y to 34. Leapmotor, which sold 39 vehicles in January-February last year, sold only 10 vehicles in the same period this year.

In 2025, BYD, aims to sell 50,000 vehicles in Turkey. It sold a total of 8,331 vehicles in the country in 2024.

Despite a limited supply, BYD sold more than 2,750 cars in Turkey in January. The number of BYD dealers is to increase from the current 25 in 19 provinces to more than 50 by the end of the year.

The carmaker’s Turkey plant is expected to start production in March 2026, while BYD is also building a site in Hungary, due to commence operations in October.

BYD's Turkey and Hungary plants are expected to manufacture a total of 500,000 cars/year at full tilt.