BYD to focus on small electric cars in Europe

The Chinese car manufacturer BYD is placing small cars at the centre of its planned sales offensive on the European market. These vehicles are to be built in Hungary for Europe from the second half of 2025. In the short term, however, BYD is also bringing a plug-in hybrid to Europe for the first time. (UPDATE BELOW)

“We are planning to launch the B-segment next year,” announced Penny Peng, BYD’s Head of Marketing in Europe, in an interview with the business magazine Capital. According to the manager, the electric car specialist intends to manufacture the planned vehicle in BYD’s first European factory in Hungary. Production is set to start there in the second half of 2025. However, she did not reveal which specific model would be involved.

In April, BYD confirmed that it intends to bring its Seagull electric subcompact car to Europe next year in a version adapted to the European market and also presented its new Ocean M compact electric car model as a concept, which may also come to Europe. The BYD Dolphin compact model is currently the brand’s smallest European model.

A focus on small electric cars, which typically sell on price in this segment, would be a departure from BYD’s original European strategy. With the Han EV and Tang EV, two of the first three models were in the price range of around 70,000 euros, which is likely to have deterred many European customers from switching to a brand that is unknown in this country and still has a small sales and service network. The sales figures in Europe at least fall short of the high targets.

European consumers are also following the headlines about the prices at which these models and the existing compact and small cars from BYD are being offered in China. The BYD Seagull, a 3.78-metre-long small car, is available in China at prices starting at 78,800 yuan or the equivalent of just over 10,000 euros. Prices for the Ocean M are expected to start at 150,000 yuan (approx. 19,000 euros) in China – but the production model is not due to be unveiled until the third quarter.

In another respect, BYD is deviating significantly from its original European strategy, which only included electric cars: BYD is bringing its first plug-in hybrid to Europe. This is the Seal U SUV, which, in addition to the BEV version as the Seal U DM-i, is now also being offered as a hybrid with an electric range of 75 to 120 kilometres (depending on the variant) and is to be delivered from June.

Update 17 June 2024

The Seal U PHEV, BYD’s first plug-in hybrid for the UK, will start at prices from £33,205. Order books are open now, with UK sales commencing in September. In terms of technical specifications, the Seal U PHEV combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine, an 18.3kWh battery and a 144 kW electric motor, allowing for about 50 miles of electric range.

The price refers to the basic ‘Boost’ variant, while prices for the upcoming ‘Comfort’ spec variants are yet to be announced. The ‘Design’ variant is available at launch, starting at £39,905, and features a bigger battery and 68 km electric range.

byd.com (Seal U DM-i), capital.de (in German), autocar.co.uk, byd.com (both update)