BYD Co Ltd (SEHK: 1211, SZSE: 002594) (simplified Chinese: 比亚迪股份有限公司; traditional Chinese: 比亞迪股份有限公司; pinyin: Bǐyàdí Gǔfēn Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī) is a Chinese manufacturer of automobiles and rechargeable batteries^[2] based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.^[3]

Hailed for its innovations,^[4] BYD has grown to become a major manufacturer of rechargeable batteries, most notably mobile phone batteries.^[5]

BYD topped the 2010 Bloomberg Businessweek Tech 100 list, a list of large, fast-growing tech companies.^[6]

Name[link]

The name BYD may be an acronym derived from either the company's Chinese name^[5] or from the phrase "build your dreams".^[7]

History[link]

Founded in the February 1995^[2] and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on July 31,^[8] 2002,^[9] BYD Co Ltd began as a rechargeable-battery factory competing in the Chinese market against Japanese imports.^[5]

Early growth[link]

BYD grew quickly; within ten years capturing more than half the world's mobile-phone battery market^[10] and becoming the largest Chinese manufacturer (and in the top four worldwide) of all types of rechargeable batteries.^[5] Replacing work done by machines with cheap, local labor lowered costs,^[10] and the company began expanding beyond batteries, adding automobiles and mobile phone components.

Automobiles[link]

A year after the 2002 acquisition of Tsinchuan Automobile Co Ltd, BYD Automobile Co Ltd was born.^[8] One of many Chinese automakers, in 2010 it was the sixth largest in terms of sales volume.^[11]

Mobile phones[link]

Mobile phone components were added to the BYD product line in the early 2000s. But this business, BYD Electronic, was spun off in 2007.^[12]

Innovation[link]

The company has been recognized for innovation; for example it has developed technologies that allow mobile phone batteries to be made at room temperature, rather than in expensive, heated dry rooms.^[4]

In 2010, BusinessWeek ranked BYD the 8th most innovative company in the world, ahead of Ford; Volkswagen and BMW,^[13] and that same year saw Fast Company ranking BYD as the 16th most innovative.^[14]

Full hybrid automobiles[link]

Seeking to utilize BYD battery production resources, in addition to gasoline-powered models BYD Automobile sells a full hybrid, the F3DM,^[15] and hopes to sell all-electric vehicles in the future.^[8]

Subsidiaries[link]

The company has a number of subsidiaries, including BYD Auto. The following is an incomplete list.^[1]

BYD (H.K.) Co Ltd[link]

Trading in NiCd, NiMH and Li-ion batteries and related products,^[1] it is a wholly owned subsidiary of BYD Co Ltd that in turn wholly owns Golden Link Worldwide Limited.^[12]

• Golden Link Worldwide Ltd -An investment holding company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands.^[1] A wholly owned subsidiary of BYD (H.K.) Co Ltd,^[16] itself a wholly owned subsidiary of BYD Co Ltd,^[12] as of 2007 Golden Link held nearly 70% issued share capital of BYD Electronic (International) Co Ltd.^[12]

Shenzhen BYD Electronic Parts Co Ltd[link]

Production and sale of NiMH and NiCD batteries, hardware products, instruments and flexible printed circuit boards^[1]

Shenzhen BYD Microelectronics Co Ltd[link]

Established in 2002,^[17] it is responsible for the design, production and sale of ICs for use in the mobile phone industry.^[18] It is registered as a Sino-foreign joint venture.^[1]

Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Company[link]

On May 27, 2010, BYD and Daimler AG signed an agreement on establishing a 50/50 joint venture developing electric cars in China.^[19]

BYD Electronic Co Ltd[link]

An investment holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands^[1]

BYD Electronic Hungary Kft[link]

(“Hungary Electronic”) Originally Mirae Hungary Industrial Manufacturer Ltd, and responsible for the manufacture and sale of mobile handset components, BYD Electronic Hungary Kft was purchased from Mirae Industry Co Ltd on February 12, 2008.^[1] Prior to the purchase, it manufactured handset housings for Nokia.^[1]

Foshan Jinhui Hi-tech Optoelectronic Material Co Ltd[link]

A joint venture with Foshan Plastic Group Co Ltd and BYD (H.K) Co Ltd,^[20] it manufactures material ion exchange membranes.^[1]

Production bases and facilities[link]

BYD has many production bases, including three locations in Shenzhen,^[3] (one of which is in Kuichong, Longgang District, Shenzhen),^[3] as well as sites in Huizhou,^[3] Shanxi^[2] and Shanghai.^[2]

Auto production bases include an automobile assembly line in Xi'an, a module manufacturing plant in Beijing, an R&D center and nascent automobile assembly line in Shenzhen and an R&D center in Shanghai.^[8]

US operations are limited to sales and marketing and can be found in Elk Grove Village, Illinois and San Francisco, California.^[5] BYD has also acquired a site for a future North American headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.^[21]

Legal disputes[link]

BYD was unsuccessfully sued by Sony and Sanyo for patent infringement.^[5] Foxconn has also brought a suit against the company for the same reason.^[22]

In the media[link]

• In September 2008, MidAmerican Energy Holdings, a subsidiary of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc., invested about US$230 million for a 10% (or 9.89%^[23]) share of BYD, @ HK$8/share.^[22]

See also[link]

• BYD Auto
• BYD Electronic
• Lithium iron phosphate battery

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: BYD Company

• BYD Company Limited
• SEC CIK# 0001445162 - ADR listing, etc.

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