In Depth: How BYD Is Navigating Tariffs and Regulations in Brazil’s Auto Market

From his São Paulo office in early December, Li Tie, general manager of BYD Co. Ltd.’s (002594.SZ) Brazil division, reflected on a journey nearly a decade in the making. He recalled his first visit to the country in 2013 alongside company Chairman Wang Chuanfu, meeting with Geraldo Alckmin, then the governor of São Paulo state and now Brazil’s vice president.

Even then, Brazilian officials expressed keen interest in putting BYD’s electric buses on their roads. But for the Chinese electric-vehicle (EV) giant, the path to selling passenger cars in Latin America’s largest economy would prove to be a much longer and more deliberate effort.

“It took us nearly 10 years from scouting the Brazilian market to officially deploying our passenger car business to cope with market barriers, cultural differences, and regulatory and policy uncertainties,” Li told Caixin.