China's Biggest Automaker Is In More Than Just The Car Business

BYD has become the best-known Chinese car brand in many markets, but the company's reach stretches well past passenger vehicles. Alongside the cars and SUVs it sells in growing numbers, it manufactures the batteries that power them, develops rail transit systems, and works in solar energy and energy storage. The badge on the grille is really only one part of a much larger industrial operation.

That breadth is more relevant to car buyers than it first appears. Batteries are the single most valuable component in an electric vehicle. A manufacturer that designs and produces its own cells has tighter control over cost, supply and how quickly it can refresh a model — advantages that tend to show up in showroom pricing and in how often a car receives meaningful updates, compared with brands that buy their batteries from outside suppliers.

For Saudi shoppers, BYD generally competes in the value-focused end of the electric and plug-in hybrid market