BYD Mexico plant will create 10,000 jobs, executive says

BYD Co.’s plans to build a plant in Mexico will create around 10,000 jobs, which would put it in line with some of the largest auto factories in the country.

The electric vehicle giant is in final negotiations for the location of the facility, with an official announcement expected in the coming months, Jorge Vallejo, BYD’s general director in Mexico, said in an interview Tuesday. He didn’t say how many of those workers would be directly employed by BYD versus contractors or suppliers. 

A plant of that size would employ more people than facilities for some other carmakers in the country, like Audi. Volkswagen’s Puebla plant — the largest in the country — employs 6,100 assembly line workers and 5,000 supervisory employees, along with thousands of people that handle parts assembly.

The carmarker is on pace to sell 50,000 units in the country this year, Vallejo said. Last month, BYD launched its Shark hybrid truck in Mexico, just another sign of the country’s growing importance to the company.