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Once upon a time, back in 1995, BYD was a little-known battery maker. Today, it is the worlds largest electric vehicle producer after surpassing Tesla in global sales in 2024. This rise reflects a relentless focus on automation and vertical integration. It controls every part of its supply chain. It makes its own batteries, with features unmatched in the industry, even mining raw materials like lithium. Its factories are robotic wonders that run about 97% on their own, building a never-ending stream of cars better than Western equivalents at lower price points. And it also transports its own cars across the world with its own fleet of ships specially designed to carry automobiles. The latest is also the biggest ship of its kind on the planet: The BYD Shenzhen, which just sailed to Brazil on its first assignment. This colossal ship was designed to carry just wheeled cargo, what is technically called a roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel. Unlike typical container ships, where vehicles are packed into boxes and containers, Ro-Ro ships allow cars to be driven directly onto decks via ramps, making loading and unloading faster. They are way more efficient to operate than regular transport ships because each minute shaved from loading and unloading translates into big financial savings for the company. As BYDs general manager, Wang Junbao, pointed out at the Shenzhens delivery ceremony, Its efficient loading system and advanced protective technologies for stable and low-carbon logistics will be pivotal to [the companys] globalization strategy. What’s so special about BYD’s ship? At 721-feet longnearly twice the length of a soccer fieldthe Shenzhen is the largest car carrier by capacity, holding 9,200 vehicles across 16 decks. According to the company, the ships design prioritizes efficiency and sustainability. It uses liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel engines, which burn LNG, a cleaner alternative to traditional marine diesel. LNG cuts sulfur oxide emissions by 99% and nitrogen oxides by 85%, aligning with stricter environmental regulations in markets like Europe. The Shenzhen also features anti-fouling paint, a coating that reduces drag by preventing marine organisms from sticking to the hull, improving fuel efficiency by up to 8%. It also employs shaft generators, devices that convert excess engine power into electricity, reducing reliance on polluting diesel generators. While BYD hasnt fully detailed its proprietary box-type battery packs onboard, their inclusion hints at efforts to electrify auxiliary systems, further lowering emissions. Vehicles wait to be loaded onto BYD’s third 7,000-car carrier, the BYD Hefei, at the Taicang Port in Suzhou, China, in January 2025. [Photo: Ji Haixin/VCG/Getty Images] Why BYD built this giant BYDs decision to invest in ships stems from its explosive growth. The company sold about 455,000 vehicles in 2019, surging to approximately 740,000 units in 2021 and more than doubling in 2022 to 1.9 million. This growth strained existing logistics networks. Knowing where its heading, BYD announced it would invest $687 million to build its own seven-ship Ro-Ro fleet. Third-party shipping costs were skyrocketing, with daily charter rates hitting $150,000 per vessel in 2024. For context, leasing a single ship for a month could cost $4.5 million. The company estimates that per-vehicle shipping expenses drop 30% to 40% with its own fleet, saving up to $1.4 billion annually. BYD plans to deploy seven car carriers over the next two years to address the shortage of shipping capacity for automobile exports, Wang Chuanfu, the companys founder and chairman, said last year. It has three more to go, including Shenzhen‘s twin, the BYD Changsha, which will be launched soon. No doubt the company will need it. Overseas shipments surged 124% year over year to 133,361 vehicles in Q1 2025, and the company is set to export 800,000 vehicles across the world this year. Such exponential growthwhich analysts believe will continue in the double digits for years to comeis why the company plans to make even more vessels. By 2026, BYDs seven-ship fleet aims to move more than one million vehicles yearly (or 83,300 per month, equivalent to nine Shenzhen trips). Thats one car shipped every 30 seconds, if you want an even more impressive figure. BYD is not the only company that does this, even while it has the biggest ship for now. Its strategy mirrors a broader shift among Chinese automakers. SAIC Motor, Chinas second-largest automaker, operates 31 ships through its logistics arm, Anji Logistics, including the 7,600-vehicle SAIC Anji Sincerity. Unlike BYD, SAIC transports cars for multiple brands, including its rivals. But BYDs fleet will be reserved mainly for its own vehicles, out of pure necessity. Globally, Hyundai GlovisHyundais logistics subsidiarymanages 60 ships and has just ordered a dozen 10,800-vehicle LNG-powered carriers. While larger, Glovis serves third parties like Toyota and Volkswagen. Legacy automakers rely on partnerships with shipping firms, a model BYD avoids, seeking instead to control every aspect of the production chain (the technology, the level of automation, the quality, and the price) to crush the competition. Its hard to imagine the beleaguered Tesla or any other Western manufacturer matching this kind of vertical integration. The massive BYD Shenzhen is yet another reminder that the race for EV supremacy may already have a winner.
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E-Commerce
Hotel art has changed. In the last few years, generic photography and reproductions of works by Old Masters have given way to remarkable pieces of artwork befitting top-notch museums and the worlds best private galleries. Though it may feel like a 180-degree shift from the boring artwork that preceded these new and imaginative displays, hotels becoming cultural destinations unto themselves, by hanging up artwork ideal for the worlds top museums and private galleries, makes sense. The standard used to be that youd put a picture in a frame and call it a daybut hotels dont cut it anymore with this, says Spencer Bailey, editor-in-chief of a multivolume book series starting with Design: The Leading Hotels of the World and cofounder of the media company The Slowdown. People expect more with the artwork, the furniture. People want to feel a sense of craftiness at every touch point at a hotel. Millennial and Gen Z travelers in particular crave authentic, upscale, and culture-based experiences, a notion that has extended into the hotels branding itself through the use of artwork. Its something that still predominantly exists in the high-end, five-star hotel market, Bailey says. The Damien Hirst Empathy Suite at the Palms, Las Vegas, 2019. [Photo: David Becker/WireImage/Getty Images] Indeed, Denvers luxury-focused Art Hotel showcases a 22,000-piece LED light installation by Leo Villareal. Theres also Damien Hirsts outstanding art suite called the Empathy Suite at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegaswhere, for a whopping $100,000 a night, you too can gaze in disbelief at one of six original full-size pieces, like the one titled Winner/Loser, in which two taxidermied sharks float suspended in formaldehyde. Some big-brand hotels are now breaking into the art hotel concept, using carefully curated art collections as a way to help define their brand identity and sharpen their claims of authenticity. Hilton recently jumped on the bandwagon with the Curio Collection, a series of 180 individually distinct and decorated hotels. Competitor Marriott has its Autograph Collection, which has grown to 154 hotels since launching in 2010. Smaller operators are now also embracing an art-forward approach. [Photo: courtesy The Lytle Park Hotel] Merging history and art at a Cincinnati boutique The Lytle Park Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohiopart of Marriott’s Autograph collectionquite literally sits at the intersection of art and hospitality. The property, opened in 2020, combines the hotels structure from 1909 and themes from the next-door Taft Museum of Art. The venues Lytle Park neighborhood is now a lovely residential area, but at the turn of the century, Cincinnatis elite dwelled here and propagated the citys cultural and artistic center. Artwork from the museum adorns some of the hotels walls, a gesture to the hotels link to this rich, storied past. To better connect guests to the areas history and culture, the hotel in 2025 debuted its Taft Suite, which pays homage to the citys illustrious Taft family, including its most famous member, William Howard Taft, the 27th president of the United States. [Photo: courtesy The Lytle Park Hotel] Museums play a crucial role in the economy of American cities, contributing over $50 billion annually to the U.S. economy, says Rebekah Beaulieu, Ph.D, president and CEO of the Taft Art Museum. Hence Cincinnati, she hopes, will benefit from the hotel/museum cross-sector approach to cultural collaboration. Todays hotel guests really want to be transported into a hotels story, says Colletta Conner, principal designer at ForrestPerkins, which designed the Taft Suite. Through its curated gallery experience, the suite offers hotel guests a glimpse into the Lytle Park of the early 20th century, when the Taft family lived there. Guests can peruse the spaces painted garden scenes and river valley motifs that feel vaguely reminiscent of the Ohio River Valley. For an added personal touch, there are even photographs of President Taft peppering the walls. [Photo: courtesy The Lytle Park Hotel] Creating a narrative is a very imprtant part of the design process, Conner explains. Sometimes you could walk onto a property and not feel a story. Sure, the hotel might be beautifulbut theres no story that pulls guests into the hotel experience. Conner says ForrestPerkins works with a lot of different hotel brandslike Sheraton, Four Seasons, and Ritz Carltonto craft a brand narrative for each hotel. We provide local context to these properties, creating unique narratives for each that add up to unique, one-of-a-kind hotel experiences. [Photo: courtesy The Lytle Park Hotel] The design team wanted the suite to match the tone set by the gallery, which occupies a historic home that was built in 1820. Some of these hotels that think about the gallery concept are more like white-box museum gallery types of spaces, says Conner. But our intention here was to have almost this home feeling, which is how the Taft Museum next door is set up. And yet, there might be an inherent contradiction in art hotels. Art requires taste, which can be a very controversial subject, and it requires lots of money, Bailey says. Owners of what was once considered the most valuable art collection in the west, the Tafts were obviously among Cincinnatis most privileged. Objects in the hotel, especially the Taft Suite, point to the Taft Museums Rembrandts and Turners, Italian majolica painted pottery, and Chinese porcelains, the latter a coveted collection both then and now. In many ways, art is a luxury item, and great hotels will need to understand that, Bailey says. The artand where it came fromchosen for each art hotel becomes an embodiment of that hotel as much as the architecture or furniture is. If visitors sense any air of elitism at the hotel, its quickly dispersed by the interior designs and friendly staff. An open concept layout in the main lobby, complete with a stunning skylight that lets in plenty of natural light, mirrors the welcome attitude the hotel and its staff emanate. While they didnt plan these main areas, ForrestPerkins designers emphasize how convivial the spaces are meant to feel, and they sought to reflect this ambience in the Taft Suite. The idea was to have museum quality displayed in a home environment, to be welcoming, approachable, and accessible, Conner says. 21c Louisville [Photo: courtesy 21c] A new kind of art hotel As one-off hotels tailor their art offerings to their locales, boutique chain 21c Museum Hotels is scaling that approach. A chain of seven boutique hotels in the Midwest and South, the brand sees itself as a forward-thinking contemporary art museum first and a hotel second. 21c Bentonville [Photo: courtesy 21c] When you walk into a 21c, youre walking into a hotel lobby, but youre also walking into a museum gallery, says Alice Gray Stites, chief curator for 21c Museum Hotels. Every 21c hotel lobby, hotel hallway, event space, and meeting room is treated like a museum gallery, where Stites installs a varied range of exhibitions. 21c Lexington [Photo: courtesy 21c] The brand got its start in 2006, at a time when revitalizing urban cores and building preservation werent part of many peoples lexicons. As 21c cofounders, preservationists, and contemporary art collectors, Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson imagined that contemporary art could be a catalyst for revitalizing their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. In the end, the pair combined their art collection with the hotel concept because a research firm they had hired revealed that their city needed more hotel rooms to spur tourism. 21c Louisville [Photo: courtesy 21c] Laura and Steve wanted to take away the velvet rope that people sometimes perceive when walking into a museum. The result? A different kind of model for both the museum world and the hospitality industry. The hotel offers urated exhibitions that are open 24/7 and cover important topics of the day, and that cycle in and out every six months. 21c was a pioneer in thisthey were an early driver in the art hotel trend, Bailey says. 21c St. Louis [Photo: courtesy 21c] At first glance, there seems to be some tension between the 21c idea of making art more accessible and the fact that its only available in a boutique hotel, where rooms cost upward of $185 a night. Most hotels dont invite anyone who hasnt booked a room to wander their lobbies or hallways, whereas 21c allows anyone, free of charge, into the hotels to view its artwork on display. [21c has] created this idea of living with art and not being intimidated by art, breaking down the formal boundaries that feel so imposing sometimes for outsiders when they walk into an art gallery or museum,” Bailey says.
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E-Commerce
Because hiring staff is typically a time-consuming and costly process, many companies are now opting to interview multiple candidates at once. The Society for Human Resource Management reported that group interviews have become increasingly popular among employers. For applicants, this changes the interview experience significantly. Instead of fielding questions about your résumé in a one-on-one setting, youve now got to vie for a role alongside other applicants and take part in real-world workplace scenarios designed to showcase your leadership skills. Tech companies and brands such as Disney, Starbucks, and The Gap are choosing to adopt the trend. Not only can interviewers see how candidates work in high-pressure situations, but fewer interviewers need to be trained in the company. By screening multiple candidates at once, this style of interview can save employers time, while also allowing them to observe candidates’ critical thinking and communication skills in action, says Sarah Skelton, managing director of recruitment company Flourish. Skelton adds that this interview style can not only be a timesaver for companies, but it can also save applicants time, too. For the candidates, this can give an opportunity to showcase their skills in one day. But it can also be a stressful process, especially if youre used to the traditional interview experience. The next time youre asked to participate in a group interview, heres what to keep in mind in order to make sure you stand out to the hiring managers: Practice your networking skills When taking part in a group interview, try networking to make you feel calm, grounded, and present. It may be helpful to warm yourself up by having a couple of light touch questions you ask other interviewees before the interview starts, for example, How was your journey?” says leadership coach Keren Blackmore from Leap of Thought. Being interviewed alongside others might actually help reduce the amount of stress you feel, as youre all in the same boat. You can also use the opportunity to increase your network. The people you meet at the interview may be interesting contacts for the future, [so] why not, for example, connect on LinkedIn? says Blackmore. Think about your body language While it may be more difficult to stand out in a group interview, you can still make your presence felt, even when youre silent. Psychologist Albert Mehrabian said that 55% of our communication is through body language, rather than speaking. Beth Hope, an executive coach who specializes in resilience, says your body language in these group interview settings should reflect calm confidence. Sit tall, ground your feet, keep your shoulders relaxed and open. This will help calm your nervous system and give you a boost of confidence, says Hope. Use purposeful gestures when speaking and avoid nervous habits like fidgeting or crossed arms. Confidence [is] about owning your space, staying grounded, and showing youre comfortable being yourself. Executive coach Joseph Ball adds that to show engagement, you should nod, smile, [and] make eye contact with the speaker. Know when not to talk Group interviews may be embraced by extroverts, but the key is knowing when not to talk. The best way to stand out in any setting is not to be the loudest voice, but to be the clarifying voice, says Mike Manoske, executive coach at The Wharton School. The way to do that is through active listening and playback: replaying back what youve heard, followed by adding additional ideas to move things forward. Make sure to keep your tone respectful. Leadership development trainer Andy Coley says you should avoid the word but when responding to someone elses idea or perspective. A but can be seen as confrontational, says Coley. Instead say yes, and this is my perspective. [This] implies youve acknowledged the other person’s point of view, whereas but comes across as a disagreement, which can lead to egos getting hurt, he says. You can also show support for others without affecting your chances, says Coley. If someone shares a good idea, a simple comment like ‘Thats a great point,’ shows that youre thoughtful and team-minded, he says. That kind of behavior stands out because it shows you care about the whole group, not just yourselfand thats real leadership. Treat other applicants as peers, not competition Another way to gain confidence in this group setting is to view the other people as peers, rather than competition, says Blackmore. This helps frame them as equals rather than a threat. Dont spend your time distracted by how the other candidates may or may not be a better fit. They are no better or worse, but they do have different skills and experiences. If youre in the interview, you are there for a reason. How you show up in the group environment is likely to be just as important as your [credentials] and experience. Work psychologist Dr. Marie-Hélne Pelletier says a group interview presents a good opportunity to work on your mental toughness. Identify what may get you off track and prepare. If another candidate saying a [great] point puts you at risk of losing your confidence, prepare now to put this aside mentally. If you dont have the typical skills for the role, view this as a superpower. A great way to stand out is to connect insights from your nontraditional background to help move the group forward, says executive coach Kelly Ling. For example, if you are moving from a business development role into a product manager role, you can bring in your experience of understanding customers needs. Keep an eye on the time The whole idea of the group interview is to find someone who can do the job and even uncover a future leader. Skelton says that group interviews often include a timed component, so its important for candidates to demonstrate strong time management skills and help keep the group focused. Successful participants will guide the team toward hitting key milestones throughout the session and ensure a clear conclusion is reached by the end, says Skelton.
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E-Commerce
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