China-based electric vehicle producer BYD announced plan to build an automotive assembly plant in Indonesia’s West Java, with groundbreaking scheduled for July, news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday.

BYD said the automotive assembly plant will be built on around 100 hectares of land in the Subang Smartpolitan Industrial Area in West Java province. The groundbreaking will reportedly take place in July and it is expected to start operation in 2026.

Eagle Zhao, president director of PT BYD Motor Indonesia, said Subang Smartpolitan has met the criteria in terms of area, distance, environment and supporting infrastructure.

“Through various assessments, BYD decided that the Subang Smartpolitan Industrial Area is the right location to develop BYD’s EV industry in Indonesia,” he said in a statement.

According to him, BYD is also planning to build a research and development and training center in the area.

In January, the automaker introduced its SEAL, Atto 3, and Dolphin in Indonesia, the report added.

The EVs are three battery-powered and environmentally friendly products that have been distributed with high production numbers to nearly 70 countries.

It was reported in January that BYD plans to invest $1.3 billion to build a manufacturing plant in Indonesia with a capacity of 150,000 units.

Warren Buffet-backed China’s EV giant BYD debuts in Indonesia – report