BYD transcontinental drive underscores overseas sales surge to 42.5%
BYD is sending a fleet of Denza Z9GT sedans on a 15,000km journey from Rome to Hong Kong to demonstrate its battery technology, a marketing push that mirrors a dramatic shift in its revenue toward international markets.
BYD has dispatched a fleet of upgraded Denza Z9GT vehicles on a 43-day, 15,000-kilometre drive from Rome to Hong Kong. The expedition, which began on June 13, is designed to publicly stress-test the Chinese manufacturer’s latest battery and charging systems across varying terrains. The cars are scheduled to complete the journey and arrive in Hong Kong around July 25.
The transcontinental showcase is fundamentally a marketing exercise, but it underscores a dramatic reshaping of BYD’s sales geography. Overseas deliveries surged 82.5 per cent year on year to 471,091 units in the first half of this year. International sales now account for 42.5 per cent of the carmaker’s total volumes, a sharp increase from just 20 per cent during the same period last year.
Powering the fleet is BYD’s Blade Battery 2.0 technology. The system relies on an array configuration that increases energy density while improving resistance to overheating. The company claims this setup provides the premium Denza Z9GT with a single-charge range of 1,036 kilometres. Earlier this year, BYD stated this figure represents the world’s longest range for any mass-produced pure electric car.
The route itself serves as a strategic map of BYD’s expanding international footprint. After starting in Italy, the fleet is travelling through Vatican City, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey. The convoy will then navigate through Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan before entering mainland China. BYD has framed the journey as a modern echo of the historic travels of Marco Polo more than 750 years ago.
This aggressive international push comes at a time of shifting macroeconomic drivers. BYD noted that a global energy shock, specifically one arising from the US-Israel war with Iran, is currently boosting sales of battery-powered vehicles. For investors, the Rome-to-Hong Kong drive is a physical manifestation of BYD’s strategy to capture that growing global demand and reduce its historical reliance on the domestic Chinese market.
