The vast field of over 5,800 electric and hybrid vehicles gleamed on the cargo deck of the BYD Changzhou, an Chinese container vessel unloading Wednesday at a river port in eastern Argentina. In other places, such a scene would not be noteworthy.
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Here's how to cope with in-flight anxiety'Worst in Show' CES products include AI refrigerators, AI companions and AI doorbellsLetter writing enjoys a revival as fans seek connection and a break from screen timeLive updates: Trump backs off tariffs over Greenland after NATO security talksThe Afternoon WireCanadian man posed as a pilot and flight attendant to get hundreds of free flights, authorities sayImmigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge's warrant, memo saysBaker Mayfield slams Kevin Stefanski over trade: 'Can't wait to see you twice a year'Iconic Coney Island hot dog hawker Nathan's Famous is sold for $450 millionNASA astronaut who was stuck at the space station for months retires within a year of returningCalifornia homeowner rolls out 'unwelcome' mat for black bear living under his houseChicken wings advertised as 'boneless' can have bones, Ohio Supreme Court decidesSome people tape their mouths shut at night. Doctors wish they wouldn'tLetter writing enjoys a revival as fans seek connection and a break from screen timeHow this AP photographer captured Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's iconic kissMeteorologists blame a stretched polar vortex, moisture, lack of sea ice for dangerous winter blastAutoimmune diseases can strike any part of the body, and mostly affect women. Here's what to knowNew diet guidelines say to double up on protein, but nutrition experts are waryWorries about flying seem to be taking off. Here's how to cope with in-flight anxiety'Worst in Show' CES products include AI refrigerators, AI companions and AI doorbellsLetter writing enjoys a revival as fans seek connection and a break from screen timeThe BYD Changzhou car carrier is docked at Terminal Zarate in the Buenos Aires province of Argentina, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, where hybrid and electric vehicles shipped from China are parked next to the ship. Pablo Naya, the owner of Sero Electric, poses next to one of the company’s electric microcars at its factory in Castelar, Argentina, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. BYD hybrid and electric vehicles shipped from China are parked at Terminal Zarate in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. Hybrid and electric vehicles shipped from China are unloaded from the BYD Changzhou car carrier docked at Terminal Zarate, in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. Ignacio Palacios works on a Sero Electric microcar at its factory in Castelar, Argentina, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. The BYD Changzhou car carrier is docked at Terminal Zarate in the Buenos Aires province of Argentina, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, where hybrid and electric vehicles shipped from China are parked next to the ship. The BYD Changzhou car carrier is docked at Terminal Zarate in the Buenos Aires province of Argentina, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, where hybrid and electric vehicles shipped from China are parked next to the ship. Pablo Naya, the owner of Sero Electric, poses next to one of the company’s electric microcars at its factory in Castelar, Argentina, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. Pablo Naya, the owner of Sero Electric, poses next to one of the company’s electric microcars at its factory in Castelar, Argentina, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. BYD hybrid and electric vehicles shipped from China are parked at Terminal Zarate in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. BYD hybrid and electric vehicles shipped from China are parked at Terminal Zarate in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. Hybrid and electric vehicles shipped from China are unloaded from the BYD Changzhou car carrier docked at Terminal Zarate, in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. Hybrid and electric vehicles shipped from China are unloaded from the BYD Changzhou car carrier docked at Terminal Zarate, in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. Ignacio Palacios works on a Sero Electric microcar at its factory in Castelar, Argentina, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. Ignacio Palacios works on a Sero Electric microcar at its factory in Castelar, Argentina, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. ZÁRATE, Argentina — The vast field of over 5,800 electric and hybrid vehicles gleamed on the cargo deck of the BYD Changzhou, an Chinese container vessel unloading Wednesday at a river port in eastern Argentina.But the sight of so many new Chinese EVs gliding onto a muddy river bank in Buenos Aires province was unprecedented for Argentina. “This milestone reflects a long-term vision in Argentina — to invest, to steadily expand our dealer network across the entire national territory,” said Stephen Deng, the country manager for BYD in Argentina. The giant BYD logo gracing the ship’s hull and each car window sent shockwaves through this crisis-stricken economy run “For decades people in Argentina had this vision that everything here must be manufactured here,” said Claudio Damiano, a professor in the Institute of Transportation at Argentina’s National University of San Martin. “The boat has a symbolic value as the first step for BYD. Everyone’s wondering how far it will go.”with the Mercosur group of South American countries, including Argentina, which promises to tear down trade barriers for European EV imports.Chinese cars show Argentina’s open economy Under Peronists who disdained global trade as a destructive force, Argentina became one of the region’s most closed economies. Sky-high taxes on imports and a chronically depreciating currency long constrained consumer choice, compelling well-heeled Argentines to smuggle iPhones and Zara hauls into the country when returning from vacations abroad.Last year Argentina logged a record 30% increase in imports compared to the year before — much of it in the form of $3 milk frothers and $10 dresses piling up on Argentines’ doorsteps from Asian online retailers such as Now Chinese automakers — once choked by 35% levies on imports — are seizing on a new measure to allow 50,000 electric and hybrid cars into the country this year tariff-free. The first shipment arrived Monday at Zárate Port after a 23-day voyage from Singapore.Yet at Davos the leaders’ stark differences were on stark display. Milei delivered his anti-interventionist, libertarian definition of MAGA right after China has perhaps benefited most from Milei’s free-market drive. Chinese imports to Argentina surged over 57% last year compared to the year before — compared to a 9.6% spike in shipments from the U.S. Chinese investment has poured into Argentina’s energy and mining sectors.Now they’re best positioned to reap the rewards of Milei’s zero-tariff quota for EVs, which applies only to cars under $16,000. “Chinese manufacturers have the technology and the ability to meet the price limits set by the government,” said Andrés Civetta, an economist specializing in the auto sector at the Argentine consulting firm Abeceb. “China has won the race.” Some major Western car manufacturers in Argentina have raised concerns. Opposition lawmakers warn of unfair competition. But Argentina is still far behind its neighbors in developing its EV industry, said Pablo Naya, the creator of Sero Electric, Argentina’s only domestic electric car manufacturer. The country’s aging power grid is nowhere near ready for a wave of electric cars to strain it en masse, he said. And if something goes wrong with a Chinese EV on the road, there are currently no dealers’ service centers able to undertake internal repairs.But if or when Argentine infrastructure and consumer aspirations eventually catch up to China, it will be a different story. “Then that would get complicated for us,” he said from the Sero Electric factory in the Buenos Aires suburb of Castelar. “We’d have a problem.”DeBre writes about Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay for The Associated Press, based in Buenos Aires. Before moving to South America in 2024, she covered the Middle East reporting from Jerusalem, Cairo and Dubai.
Javier Milei Argentina International Trade South America Buenos Aires Africa Electric Vehicles Auto Industry General News Latin America Send To Apple News Tariffs And Global Trade Central America Andrs Civetta Business Pablo Naya Argentina Government European Union Hybrid Vehicles World News China Government Stephen Deng World News
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