Asian Tech Press (Dec 23) -- Chinese automaker BYD Co Ltd (BYDDF: OTC US) has seen its daily production cut by at least 2,000 units due to the impact of COVID-19.

Lian Yubo, BYD's executive vice president and director of the Automotive Engineering Research Institute, said Thursday at the 2022 APEC SME Business Forum in Chinese tech hub Shenzhen, "COVID-19 has infected a group of our workers in the past few days and has seriously affected our production."

The executive said, "We are producing 2,000 to 3,000 cars less every day."

During his speech, Lian also said that about 20% to 30% of BYD's workers are unable to work and are in quarantine at home.

As China's largest electric vehicle manufacturer, BYD initially aimed to produce 1.9 million pure electric and hybrid vehicles by 2022. But with 30,000 fewer cars produced this month, the company can now expect to produce only about 1.88 million units this year, Lian added.

China abruptly ended its three-year "zero-COVID" policies in early December, leading to a spike in COVID-19 infections and a downturn in tourism and economic activities.