SHENZHEN, Mar. 12 -- BYD Co<1211>, China's largest rechargeable battery maker and a well-known automobile producer, may set up an assembly plant in California and open its U.S. headquarters there, the Los Angeles Business Journal reported, citing unnamed sources as saying.

According to the report, the plant would have an area of over 1 million square feet and create several hundreds jobs.

BYD expects to announce its decision on setting up an assembly plant after settling on a location for its U.S. headquarters.

In December, a senior executive at BYD said that the company was considering entering the U.S. electric car market in Los Angeles.  

Shenzhen-based BYD was the fourth-largest auto maker by sales volume in China last year, with more than 450,000 cars sold. It aims to sell 800,000 units in 2010, according to an earlier report from China Knowledge.