An electric bus, manufactured by Chinese company BYD, arrives in the port of San Antonio, in the region of Valparaiso, Chile, July 31, 2019. (Xinhua/Jorge Villegas)

China's leading automaker BYD on Monday announced a deal to deliver 134 electric buses to the US city of Los Angeles. The Shenzhen-based multinational company said it will continue to explore the global market amid a gloomy auto sector now.

"The first bus will be delivered in March … and the ongoing coronavirus epidemic won't affect the delivery of the order," read a statement sent to the Global Times by the company on Monday.

This is the largest ever electric bus order from the US. BYD's electric buses currently maintain a majority of the market share in the US, the company said.

With its American business headquartered in Los Angeles, BYD assembles and produces in its US plant and sources 70 percent of auto parts locally, according to the statement.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Thursday: "Seeing these zero-emission [BYD] buses rolling down our roads in the years ahead will bring us one step closer to realizing our vision of cleaner air, lower emissions, healthier communities, and a more sustainable future for all Angelenos."

As one of the largest private auto makers in China, BYD has expanded its renewable energy solutions globally with operations scattered in over 50 countries and regions, said the company.

According to a report by the Xinhua News Agency, BYD began to build its US plants in 2013 and has so far delivered auto products to 13 states in the US and 4 provinces in Canada. 

Against the backdrop of China's intensive fight against the spread of the new coronavirus, Chinese companies including BYD are striving to restart operations on the premise of sound epidemic prevention and at the same time maintaining a steady pace of expansion overseas.

BYD delivered India's first electric bus in Silvassa on February 17, and delivered 29 electric buses in London together with Alexander Dennis Limited on Friday, according to the company.

Global Times