BYD to sell electric buses by year-end

Chinese automaker BYD Co. will begin selling electric buses in the local market by the end of this year. According to the automaker, the first batch of electric buses will be rolled out from the new Changsha facility in Hunan province during the fourth quarter of this year, followed by the C3, C6, and F2 passenger cars in 2010. BYD recently acquired Chinese bus and coach manufacturer Hunan Midea for 60 million yuan (US$8.79 million) and reportedly plans to invest 3 billion yuan (US$439.43 million) in the first phase of construction of the Changsha facility, slated to be operational by September. (August 27, 2009)