BYD's car plant in Pakistan will start by building cars entirely from imported parts. Hub Power Company, BYD's local partner, told investors at a corporate briefing on 20 October 2026 that production at the Gharo plant in Sindh will at first depend completely on imported raw materials and components. Its long term aim is to localise up to 80 percent of the vehicle, but no date or milestones were given.
We have already covered the plant's timeline and current BYD prices and BYD's plans for a regional NEV hub. This article focuses on what an imported parts start actually means, how localisation could unfold and whether it will make BYD cars cheaper.
What Hubco told investors
- Production will initially rely entirely on imported raw materials and components
- Local content is expected to rise gradually, with a long term target of up to 80 percent
- The company denied the plant has been delayed and repeated its aim of starting before the end of 2026
- Analysts who attended expect the plant to be running within four to five weeks, which points to mid December
- Initial sales are targeted at 1,000 to 1,500 cars a month
- More BYD models will be added in phases, aimed at the price segments with the most demand
The plant costs about USD 150 million and has a starting capacity of about 25,000 cars a year, which can be scaled to 50,000. It is currently in the equipment installation and commissioning stage. BYD has said it will be the brand's sixth factory outside China and expects it to create more than 1,100 jobs.
What an imported parts start means
Starting with imported parts usually means completely knocked down assembly. The car arrives in Pakistan as a kit of body panels, battery packs, motors, electronics and interior parts, and local workers weld, paint and put it together.
| Stage | What is made locally | Typical local share |
|---|---|---|
| Kit assembly | Welding, painting, final assembly | Low |
| Early localisation | Seats, glass, tyres, wiring, plastics, trim | Moderate |
| Deep localisation | Body panels, castings, some electrical parts | High |
| Up to 80 percent | Most of the car except key EV tech | Target |
The most expensive parts of an electric car, the battery cells, motor and power electronics, are the hardest to localise. Reaching 80 percent would require local suppliers to invest heavily and BYD to transfer technology, which is why the target has no deadline. In 2025 a company executive had said assembly would begin with imported parts plus some local non electric components, so the plan has stayed broadly consistent.
Will local assembly make BYD cars cheaper?
Not automatically. Kit imports pay lower duty than fully built cars, but early assembly carries setup costs, and the exchange rate still drives the price of every imported part. Prices only tend to fall meaningfully once local content rises and volumes grow.
The draft Auto Policy 2026 to 2031 could help. It proposes a 1 percent tariff on EV specific parts that are not made locally and a 1 percent sales tax on battery electric cars, subject to IMF approval. Our levy and tax explainer explains how the new rates are meant to work. Current prices for the BYD Atto 2, BYD Atto 3, Seal, Sealion 7 and Shark 6 are on our BYD page.
BYD has already stocked up
While the plant is being commissioned, BYD has kept shipping fully built cars. More than 1,500 Atto units arrived in September alone, part of a surge in imports that local parts makers have criticised. Its largest single shipment so far carried more than 2,000 cars. The company also operates public DC fast chargers along the roughly 1,300km route between Karachi and Peshawar.
The local competition
BYD is not alone. Lucky Cement, which assembles Kia cars, says it aims to begin local EV production in the first quarter of 2027. Sazgar is also preparing new electric models, as covered in our Arcfox report. More local EV assembly should mean more choice for buyers.
What buyers should do
- If you want a BYD now, imported stock is available and prices are listed
- If you want a locally assembled BYD, expect the first cars from around mid December, but do not assume they will be cheaper at launch
- If the auto policy is approved, EV prices could change, so ask about price protection when booking
Compare BYD models with their rivals on our comparison page or browse all new cars.