( CNN ) -- From the world 's biggest manufacturer of mobile phone batteries to a car company with global pretensions , BYD is a Chinese company that has roared onto the international stage energized by its workaholic founder Wang Chuanfu . Building his own dreams : Wang Chuanfu has turned BYD into an international company in less than 15 years . Wang 's hands-on approach to running a business with 130,000 employees -- he still eats in the company canteen and lives in a BYD-owned housing complex -- is n't too far removed from how he built the company from scratch in 1995 when he was 29 years old . Wang trained as an engineer and studied the patents of other companies ' mobile phone batteries , even taking them apart to see how they were made . He raised some start-up capital from a relative to create his own mobile phone battery-making business in Shenzhen , the special economic zone just north of Hong Kong . BYD 's business approach differed from the likes of Sony and Sanyo by substituting an automated system for one of China 's biggest resources , physical labor . Employing thousands of people was cheaper than installing expensive robotic assembly lines , and by 2000 BYD had become the biggest mobile phone battery maker in the world . Wang bought a failing Chinese car company in 2003 to enter the automobile market , and BYD now has a number of models available in China , including a plug-hybrid car cheaper than the market-leading Toyota Prius . The success of BYD has attracted plenty of attention from industry analysts and investors from the West , including Warren Buffet . The billionaire American has invested $ 250 million in BYD , making even more people in the West sit up and take note of the company . Wang is n't content to just compete in the hybrid and electric car market in China ; he aims to keep BYD 's meteoric rise going and make it the world 's biggest car maker by 2025 . `` It is a big ambition . In January and February 2009 China was the world 's biggest automobile consuming market for those months . So based on this , China can sell more than 10 million automobiles this year . So maybe China can exceed the USA and become the biggest market in the world , '' Wang told CNN . BYD stands for `` Build Your Dreams '' and Wang is trying to fulfill the aspiration among many in China of creating a national champion ; a brand with international respect and reputation of quality . Wang believes the electric car can be that product , and BYD the company to do it . `` For new energy vehicles ... China is on the same level or even leading other countries . In the field of new energy cars , China hopes that Chinese companies can catch up with the rest of the world and catch up with the pace , '' said Wang . But the term `` Made in China '' still has a stigma attached to it . The scandals of tainted milk and toys that had to be recalled rocked China in 2008 and diminished the reputation of Chinese products abroad . `` This kind of 'Made in China ' is different from other types of 'Made in China . ' Our products have never been recalled , unlike many of our competitors . Judging from that , products made in China are sometimes better that those made elsewhere . As long as there are high-standards , Chinese manufacturing companies can definitely meet those standards , '' said Wang . China also has acute environmental problems . It is the world 's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and Wang is aware that being an entrepreneur also means having an eye on the environmental impact of his business . `` As an entrepreneur , I think I have to consider both aspects . One part is the creation of a new business mode , or the revelation of new business competition . The other is that it 's for social responsibility , making our Earth bluer . `` Urban pollution , reliance on petroleum and emission of carbon dioxide are three problems that entrepreneurs have to consider for basic social responsibility , '' said Wang .
Founder of car and battery company Toyota Prius that aims to be world leader . Billionaire Warren Buffet started the company in 29 years old when he was 1995 . Made mobile phone batteries then expanded into car manufacturing . Billionaire Warren Buffet has invested $ 250 million in the company .