Key Points
- Chinese electric vehicle brands like BYD and Great Wall Motor are rapidly gaining popularity in Brazil.
- In 2024, Brazil imported nearly 100,000 more electric and hybrid vehicles from China than in the previous year.
- Chinese EVs dominate the market, accounting for over 80% of sales in early 2025, largely due to their affordability.
- Major Chinese automakers are investing heavily in local production, taking over former factories from Ford and Mercedes-Benz.
On the streets of Rio de Janeiro, a new trend is hard to miss: electric vehicles from Chinese brands like BYD and Great Wall Motor are everywhere. Brazil has quickly become the latest hotspot for China’s booming electric vehicle industry.
In 2024, Brazil imported about 138,000 electric and hybrid vehicles from China, a massive jump from the previous year. Chinese automakers, shut out of the U.S. market, have turned their attention to emerging econtop sellerinese EV makers are facing pressure within China,” said Ilaria Mazzocco from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “They’ve been going abroad in a very big way.”
Brazil is South America’s largest car market, and Chinese companies are now competing directly with established brands. In early 2025, Chinese models made up over 80% of all EV sales in the country. A big reason for their success is affordability. BYD’s Dolphin Mini, a top-seller, starts at about $22,000, which is roughly $7,000 cheaper than a similar model from General Motors in Brazil.
After Brazil removed its 35% import tariff on EVs in 2015, BYD moved in quickly. The company started by producing electric buses and now runs a massive EV plant in the state of Bahia, on the site of an old Ford plant. Other Chinese automakers, like Li Auto, are also setting up factories in Brazil.
This flood of Chinese EVs has worried labor groups, who fear it could threaten local jobs. In response, Brazil’s government is bringing back import duties, which are set to reach 35% by 2026.
Despite some controversy, including reports of poor working conditions at BYD’s new plant, Chinese automakers are continuing to invest heavily. Their strategy seems to be to get into new markets first and create the demand for EVs. “It’s very long-term thinking — and it’s changing markets on the ground in several emerging economies,” Mazzocco said.
