BYD Electric Cars

Based out of Shenzen, Guangdong Province in China, BYD is a car manufacturer that has been in business since 2003. BYD Auto is a division of BYD Co Ltd. which is a maker of rechargeable batteries and mobile phone components. The auto manufacturing division of BYD was created after BYD acquired Tsinchuan Automobile Company. In 2008 famed investor Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway firm purchased 10% of BYD Co Ltd for $230 million.

Unlike most electric car makers BYD creates almost all of their car's components in house. This is a cost saving measure as they handle the entire process from parts manufacture to final assembly.

They have final assembly plants in Xian and Shenzen, research and development centers in Shenzen and Shanghai and component manufacturing in Beijing.

Beginning in 2006 BYD began to export their cars outside China. Currently BYD cars are available in Africa, South America and the Middle East and they are looking to enter the market in Europe and Israel in 2010 then the United States in 2011.

On the electric car front BYD has two prototype vehicles, the e6 which is all electric and the F6DM plug in hybrid.

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