Chinese car maker BYD is selling cars by the boatload – literally.
Almost 5000 new BYD vehicles are currently on their way to Australia aboard the BYD Zhengzhou, a ‘roll on, roll off’ purpose-built car carrying ship the industrial giant owns.
The Zhengzhou is one of eight BYD car carriers, and the company has dispatched it for its maiden voyage to Australia to keep up with a sudden surge in demand.
As Aussies strain under cost-of-living pressures brought on by the conflict in the Middle East, BYD is aiming to deliver 30,000 of its electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in “coming months”.
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In another unusual move, BYD will prioritise essential workers – healthcare workers, teachers, emergency service providers – with those customers jumping to the head of the queue to ensure they can get their new car soon.
“BYD is demonstrating that it has the ability to respond quickly to customer needs, and act fast,” said BYD Australia Chief Operating Officer, Stephen Collins.
“BYD’s vertically integrated system allows it to scale production as required, with a fleet of BYD-owned vessels ready to take cars wherever they need to go almost anywhere in the world.
“BYD is truly unique in this way and Australian customers are benefiting directly as demand increases for innovative new energy vehicles that are affordable and cost-effective to run.”
The Zhengzhou is due to dock in Melbourne before making deliveries in Sydney and Brisbane, with the company expecting even distribution across the three markets.
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The majority of the cars aboard the ship are the all-electric Atto 2 and Sealion 7, which are in demand amid skyrocketing petrol and diesel prices.
The Sealion 7 in particular is fast becoming an Australian favourite, sales of the mid-size SUV are up more than 300 per cent in 2026 pushing it into direct competition with the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander and Mazda CX-5.
Overall BYD is on a sales hot streak, rapidly climbing the sales charts since becoming a factory-run operation. The Chinese brand has more than doubled its market share in the first fourth months of 2026, up more than 110 per cent, while key rivals flounder.
BYD was the second best-selling brand in April, behind only Toyota and ahead of long-established brands such as Ford, Hyundai, Kia and Mazda.
In fact, Toyota sales are down more than 20 per cent in the first four months of 2026. The Japanese giant that has long dominated Australian sales has lost almost five per cent of its market share, down to 15.9 per cent from over 20 per cent at the end of last year.
BYD is not the only car maker in the world to invest in its shipping in order to meet demand. In 2023 Ford Australia signed a three lease on a car carrier to create a direct pipeline between its Thailand factory, which builds Rangers and Everests, and Australia.
BYD says more ship-loads of cars will be on their way in the coming months, with updates expected from the company as the boats leave China.
