The growing controversy in the automaker's biggest overseas market has put a spotlight on immigrant worker conditions in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. A deal with labor prosecutors involving BYD and the Jinjiang Group could be inked as soon as Jan.

A spokesperson for Chinese automaker BYD has objected to reports about poor conditions at a construction site in Brazil where it is building a factory, saying the allegations were aimed at “smearing”

Construction at BYD’s new EV plant in Brazil was suddenly halted Monday after authorities found Chinese workers in “slavery-like”