KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 7): A vessel of Chinese automaker BYD, purpose-built to transport its electric vehicles (EVs), made its maiden delivery of fully-built BYD vehicles to Malaysian shores.

The official distributor of BYD cars in Malaysia, BYD Malaysia Sdn Bhd and Sime Darby Motors Sdn Bhd, the automotive arm of Sime Darby Bhd (KL:SIME), announced this in a statement on Thursday.

Its arrival on Malaysian shores was part of its maiden journey to Southeast Asia, where deliveries were also scheduled for the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore. “It arrived at North Port, Port Klang, recently, before making one final stop in Thailand and continuing its return journey to China.”

The 7,000-unit capacity vessel, BYD Zhengzhou, is the seventh vessel in BYD’s fleet of purpose-built carriers.

Having its own fleet is the carmaker’s move to reinforce its supply chain and showcase its readiness to meet rising demand for EVs. “The vessels are part of BYD’s expanding export strategies and underscore its commitment to Malaysia as a key market in the region.”

Sime Darby Motors managing director Jeffrey Gan labelled the event as a significant milestone in the group’s partnership with BYD, symbolising confidence and growing potential of Malaysia as a vital EV hub.

“With the enhanced regional supply chain provided by the BYD carrier vessels, we are now assured of shorter delivery times, enabling us to provide better customer satisfaction, making this a win-win situation for all involved,” he added.

Meanwhile, BYD Malaysia managing director Eagle Zhao reiterated BYD's view that Malaysia is instrumental to the carmaker’s growth in Asia-Pacific.

“Built to enhance delivery capabilities, BYD Zhengzhou ensures faster and more reliable deliveries directly to our customers here.

“As China’s automotive exports increase, so does demand for specialised carriers. By investing in our own fleet of vessels, we are in a more secure position to manage global demand and critical transport resources through superior delivery stability and scale,” he said.

BYD Malaysia and Sime Darby Motors have over 35 BYD outlets across Malaysia and target to grow the tally to 60 by end-2026.

BYD Zhengzhou operates on a roll-on roll-off (RORO) method, where vehicles are driven directly on and off, enabling substantial time and cost advantages versus traditional container shipping, according to BYD Malaysia.

Shares in Sime Darby ended one sen or 0.61% higher at RM1.64 on Thursday, valuing the group at RM11.18 billion.