In a strategic move to enhance collaboration in new energy vehicle (NEV) technologies, China's leading electric vehicle manufacturer BYD has signed a partnership agreement with Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil giant, Saudi Aramco. This agreement aligns with BYD's official entry into the Saudi market last year and underscores both companies' commitment to driving innovation and development in electric mobility.
Saudi Aramco, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Aramco Technologies (SATC), has entered a joint development agreement with BYD aimed at enhancing research and development in NEV technologies. The focus is on innovating technological solutions that boost performance efficiency and improve environmental impact. Aramco stated that the collaboration will leverage research and development teams from both companies to achieve significant breakthroughs in the NEV sector.
Ali Al-Mashari, Senior Vice President of Technical Supervision and Coordination at Saudi Aramco, noted that this partnership will support efforts to improve existing technologies by utilizing Aramco's extensive expertise in new energy solutions. He added that collaborating with BYD, known for its advanced R&D capabilities, will help create solutions that combine high performance with low emissions.
On his part, Luo Hongbin, Senior Vice President of BYD, expressed optimism that the collaboration between the two companies will overcome geographical and mental barriers. He highlighted that combining BYD's expertise with Aramco's R&D will lead to innovative solutions that offer high performance with a reduced carbon footprint.
This partnership comes as Saudi Arabia adopts an ambitious plan to boost electric mobility, aiming for 30% of all vehicles to be new energy vehicles by 2030. This goal reflects the Kingdom's direction towards diversifying energy sources and reducing reliance on fossil fuels under Vision 2030 for sustainable development.
On February 20, 2024, BYD officially announced its entry into the Saudi market, unveiling several of its electric models such as the Han EV, Atto 3 (known as Yuan Plus in China), Seal EV, Qin Plus, and Song Plus. On May 28, 2024, BYD opened its first store in Riyadh’s Al Ghadir district through local distributor Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Solutions. The store features a showroom, discovery center, and service center offering an integrated customer experience.
BYD achieved record sales in Q1 2025 by selling over one million NEVs including battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), marking a 59.81% increase year-on-year according to CnEVPost data.
In international markets, BYD recorded sales of 206,084 NEVs in Q1 with an impressive 110.51% year-on-year growth. This reflects the company's rapid expansion and success globally especially in the Middle East where demand for electric vehicles is rising.
The partnership between BYD and Saudi Aramco represents a pivotal step in strengthening cooperation between energy and electric transportation sectors. It highlights the importance of joint innovation to develop eco-friendly technologies meeting growing market needs within the Kingdom and regionally. With its strong entry into the Saudi market and continued global expansion efforts backed by strategic partnerships like that with Aramco—armed with extensive expertise in energy—BYD is poised to lead future electric mobility advancements.
This partnership is more than just an ordinary agreement; it is a clear indicator of global market trends towards sustainability and clean technology where industry titans unite to provide innovative solutions supporting future mobility goals while fostering regional and worldwide sustainable development objectives.
