BYD decides to build North American headquarters in downtown Los Angeles

A few weeks ago, we reported that BYD was considering one of several locations in Los Angeles county to house the company's North American headquarters. At the time, BYD did not disclose site locations nor did it indicate any particular cities that were under consideration. Well, a selection has been made and we are quite surprised to learn that the company will call downtown LA its North American home. The site selected is in the city's financial district on the grounds where an auto dealership once stood.

The announcement came just days ago with LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and BYD chairman Chuanfu Wang standing side-by-side on the steps of city hall. Chuanfu briefly spoke at the ceremony stating:

Installing a U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles prepares us for distribution of our product throughout the United States and sets the stage for release of our all-electric crossover vehicle, the e6.

Initially, the company says it will hire 150 people by the end of 2011 to run the new headquarters. It also claims that future expansion could lead to nearly 2,000 more jobs at the LA site. This level of expansion would also mean that some vehicle assembly would take place on-site. We've always been a bit skeptical about some claims and projected release dates set by BYD, but establishing a headquarters here, put a little bit of our cynicism to rest. For one thing, we can now add BYD to the growing list of companies in the Electric City.

[Source: Green Car Advisor]