BYD could soon build electric cars in Hungary

According to a German media report, BYD's first EV factory in Europe will be built in Hungary. Officially, however, the Chinese manufacturer will not announce the location of the first European plant until the end of the year.

BYD will build its first European EV factory in Hungary. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper, citing unnamed sources close to the company, the decision has already been made internally. However, when asked by Reuters, BYD explained that the search for a location is still ongoing and that it will announce a decision at the end of this year.

BYD manager Stella Li announced in December 2022 that the Chinese manufacturer was planning at least one car plant on the European continent, possibly two. Shortly afterwards, BYD stated that the UK was not an option because of Brexit and that it would determine the final location in 2023.

Later in the year, a French minister confirmed talks with BYD. The Chinese manufacturer knows the country well, as it built electric buses there but ceased production in November 2021 due to low demand. At the time, BYD stated that it wanted to remain active on the French market despite the closure.

In addition, there were reports that Spain and Germany could also be among the shortlist of favourites. There were rumours back in January that Ford was negotiating the sale of its plant in Saarlouis with BYD.

Now, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine, it will be Hungary. BYD recently started selling electric cars there. Including Hungary, BYD now offers its electric cars in 19 European countries. The car manufacturer is also planning a battery assembly plant in the country.

Moreover, BYD is already active in vehicle construction in Hungary. The Group is building electric buses for the European market in Komárom, Hungary. According to an earlier report, BYD recently increased its production capacity there fivefold, from 200 to 1,000 EV buses.

BYD made its European debut at the Paris Motor Show in 2022, initially launching three EV models, followed by two more in 2023. The European models are vehicles based on different platforms. Of the three models at market launch, only the Atto 3 compact SUV is based on BYD’s e-platform 3.0 with an 800-volt system. The Han EV, a large electric saloon, is still based on a multi-energy platform, as is the electric SUV Tang EV. The Seal, a mid-size saloon, and the compact car Dolphin, both based on the e-platform 3.0, followed in 2023.

faz.net (paywall; in German) via reuters.com